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.
Cathay Pacific Airways confirms that it will be rolling out a premium economy product across its long-haul routes next year. The carrier says the new seats will be introduced from the second quarter, and will be installed at the same time as new business class seats. “It will still take most of 2012 before it is on most of our aircraft,” Cathay says.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) can be forgiven for making a big deal out of the delivery of its first Boeing 787. Its status as launch customer has figured pretty heavily in the airline's marketing, but it has had to endure a long wait for that privilege. First delivery is now expected in late September, more than three years after the originally scheduled date. When the initial aircraft does arrive, ANA will not be in the exclusive club for long—the second customer, ANA's local rival Japan Airlines (JAL), could receive its first 787 just a few months later.
Virgin Australia is continuing its efforts to serve major markets by linking with larger international airlines, this time adding a Hong Kong route operated by Virgin Atlantic. The two carriers were already code-share partners, and have expanded this relationship to include Virgin Atlantic’s Hong Kong-Sydney flights from early 2012. This aligns with Virgin Australia’s strategy of building a “virtual international network” without investing heavily in long-haul aircraft.
