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 FAA says its troubled en route automation modernization (ERAM) program is back on course, although a government watchdog says there are still large numbers of glitches with the new system that could again derail progress. ERAM is operating in some capacity at nine of the FAA’s 20 en route centers, with five of the nine using it as their prime air traffic control system, FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta told lawmakers at a congressional oversight hearing. He says the agency is on track to complete the operational rollout at all centers by 2014.
It is hard to escape the conclusion that the fortunes of Australia’s two major airlines are moving in opposite directions at the moment. While Qantas can only hope it has bottomed out after a traumatic 12 months, Virgin Australia is on the rise as it capitalizes on a successful strategic realignment.
Qantas expects its new alliance with Emirates Airline will help return its ailing international unit to profitability, as the carriers plan to broaden an initial code-share deal into a revenue-sharing partnership on some routes. The airlines intend to start code-sharing in April, when Qantas will move the stopover point for its London flights from Singapore to Dubai. This will enable Qantas to connect to 33 European destinations on the Emirates network via the UAE carrier’s hub. The airlines also will link their frequent flyer programs.
