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.
Sweden’s airport operator has halted moves to contract out the country’s air traffic control services because it is not yet clear exactly which services will be included. The Swedish parliament last year decided to open ATC services to competition, and as a result, airport company Swedavia began a procurement process. Incumbent air navigation service provider LFV will likely be one of the bidders, and other European ATC providers are also expected to participate.
Airbus estimates that airlines in the South Pacific region will require 736 new passenger and freighter aircraft between 2011 and 2030, with demand driven by strong traffic growth to Asian markets. The forecast total, covering aircraft with 100 seats or larger, would be worth $98 billion, Airbus says. This regional estimate includes Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and is broken out from Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast.
The Qantas ground workers union may have called off their strike originally scheduled for Oct. 7, but the airline’s labor strife continues. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) is threatening to reinstate labor action if the airline does not come forward with a new contract offer. Qantas is involved in acrimonious labor disputes on several fronts, and its engineers union is due to continue rolling strikes this week. However, the carrier also received some good news when its domestic flight attendants union reached a contract deal on Oct. 6. A vote is scheduled between Oct.
