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 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 are hoping that the dip is a brief one, but the cyclical history of this sector shows that a sustained drop is just as likely.
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.
