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.
An Australian government review has determined that despite airline complaints to the contrary, airport charging practices are reasonable, particularly when compared with other countries. While the government’s Productivity Commission found that the “light-handed regulation” of airport pricing is generally working well, it does recommend some changes aimed at giving the main competition watchdog the ability to proactively intervene if unreasonable pricing is occurring or suspected.
New Zealand competition authorities have prevailed in the first phase of the trial of nine international carriers accused of price-fixing. The New Zealand High Court in Auckland ruled in favor of the Commerce Commission on an important jurisdictional point. This means the court can hear the full Commerce Commission case. If the court had ruled in the airlines’ favor, a major part of the case would not have been able to be heard in a New Zealand court. An appeal against this decision is still a possibility.
Tiger Airways Australia head Tony Davis is leaving the troubled carrier just as it is ramping up services after a lengthy grounding by Australian regulators. Davis is leaving Tiger to take up another position, the carrier says in a statement. Tiger says Davis’s decision to depart “supports his long-term plan to return and reside in Europe.” He will leave Tiger effective Nov. 1. The company says it is “in the process of appointing a permanent replacement” for Davis at the Australian carrier.
