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.
While mainline airlines are on the decline, their low-cost-carrier (LCC) rivals appear to be faring better as the industry grapples with the prospect of another downturn. This is one of the themes revealed by the latest mid-term update to Aviation Week's Top-Performing Airlines (TPA) study. The charts and analysis below examine the slowdown and reversal of the mainline carrier recovery since 2008. And the three other charts show that while low-cost carriers are under pressure, there is still growth in key regions.
While the economic outlook may have darkened since the last Top-Performing Airlines (TPA) study, the best airlines are still on top. This mid-term update shows the same three carriers ranked first in their sectors by healthy margins, proving that their business models still give them an edge during global uncertainty. Note that these are not full TPA lists—merely a snapshot of the top 10 in each category.
A wave of new aircraft programs is under way that will help define the next era of the global airline industry. The first of these aircraft types are entering revenue service, and will accelerate the phase-out of some iconic current-generation commercial aircraft models. Boeing in particular will look back at 2011 as a transitional year. The first Boeing 787 was finally delivered on Sept. 26 to launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA), which is flying its initial 787-8s on short-haul routes.
