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.
Boeing 787-9 launch customer Air New Zealand plans to configure its initial deliveries with about 300 seats, representing a relatively large proportion of economy passengers, says an airline executive.
Chinese low-cost carrier Spring is firming plans to launch a joint-venture airline in Japan under a strategy that incrementally targets international expansion. A formal announcement is expected in September, a Spring executive tells Aviation Week on the sidelines of the Aviation Outlook Australia Pacific conference in Sydney. All local partners in the joint venture are confirmed, although none are Japanese airlines, the executive says.
Hawaiian Airlines is proving that its relatively rapid capacity growth is continuing to be sustained by strong demand, even in its newest long-haul markets. CEO Mark Dunkerley admits that financial analysts have been divided over whether the carrier’s new Honolulu-New York route was a good idea. But the early signs are encouraging, he says, with forward bookings for the route ahead of those for its other U.S. domestic services. These flights are also ahead of internal goals set by the carrier, says Dunkerley.
