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 fate of Qantas Airways’ long-running labor battle is now in the hands of federal arbitrators after last-minute negotiations failed to yield an agreement between the airline and its major unions. The country’s highest labor panel, Fair Work Australia (FWA), had set a deadline of midnight Nov. 21 local time for the sides to reach contract deals. However, talks ended with no agreements, and Qantas announced that the disputes will go to binding arbitration.
The New Zealand government is planning a wide-ranging overhaul of its aviation policy framework, in an effort to improve access to overseas markets and make its regulatory process more flexible.
The global airline industry appears to have passed its latest financial peak, and the billion-dollar question now is how far—and how quickly—it will fall before bouncing back. Airlines will be hoping that the dip is a brief one, but the cyclical history of this industry shows that a sustained drop is just as likely.
