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.
Airline fees for air traffic control (ATC) services will be cut dramatically under a plan finalized by Irish aviation regulators, and fees could be reduced even further thanks to a new initiative that will directly link service disruptions to price levels.
Virgin Australia is continuing to make progress in the impressive financial turnaround of its international long-haul operation. The carrier’s CEO, John Borghetti, tells airline analysts at a Sydney conference that the long-haul operation is again turning a profit in its 2012 fiscal year, which began on July 1. This followed an AU$22 million ($23 million) profit in fiscal 2010, which was a major swing from the $25 million loss in the long-haul business in fiscal 2009.
Fijian carrier Air Pacific is switching from Boeing to Airbus for its future widebody needs, and also appears to be changing its fleet strategy from leasing to owning its aircraft.
