Adrian is Auckland bureau chief for Aviation Week, based in New Zealand. He covers commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adrian was previously based in Aviation Week’s Washington office for nine years, writing for a range of the group’s publications and covering many aspects of the commercial aviation industry. He has won Australasian and international awards for his aviation writing.
Prior to joining Aviation Week in 2002, Adrian covered aviation industry and policy issues for two other publishing companies in Washington. He has also worked for newspapers in Texas and New Zealand, covering a wide range of topics. Adrian graduated from Auckland University with a degree in history and English in 1992.
The growth of Jetstar’s New Zealand domestic operation is likely to continue, with a senior airline executive acknowledging the carrier is considering bringing in additional aircraft to boost market share. Jetstar has nine Airbus A320s based in New Zealand and has captured 22% of the domestic market, says David Hall, who heads Jetstar’s Australian and New Zealand operations. Hall tells Aviation Week he would like to see this share grow to 30%, which would be a “good position” in a market dominated by an incumbent national carrier like Air New Zealand.
The major U.S. controllers’ union, responding to a new study on consolidating U.S. air traffic control (ATC) facilities, says it supports facility consolidation and realignment if certain conditions are met. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says it can accept consolidations “where they enhance operational services and the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System.” The union notes it is collaborating with the FAA on plans for an integrated New York ATC center that would combine other ATC facilities.
Pratt & Whitney and Air New Zealand plan to invest a combined NZ$20 million ($16.8 million) to increase by 50% the capacity of their joint-venture engine overhaul center. The project will enable the Christchurch Engine Center in New Zealand “to consolidate all of its operations into one central workshop where currently they are operated out of multiple locations,” the center’s general manager, Brendon McWilliam, tells Aviation Week. It also will mean efficiency gains, he says.
