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.
Australia’s Skywest Airlines has taken delivery of its first ATR 72-500, which, in addition to further deliveries, it plans to operate on behalf of Virgin Australia. Skywest is scheduled to take delivery of three more ATR 72-500s this year and four ATR 72-600s in 2012. They will all fly in the new Virgin Australia livery.
Tiger Airways Australia may be flying again, but the long-term viability of the carrier remains extremely uncertain. The airline already was a financial drain on the Singapore-based Tiger Airways group before safety problems led to its suspension. Now Tiger will gradually relaunch domestic routes, but airline analysts question how much more patience the group's management will have for the troubled carrier.
Tiger Airways Australia is allowed to fly again, but the carrier will restart operations with a vastly reduced domestic network. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Agency (CASA) says it has lifted Tiger’s suspension, which has been in place since July 2. CASA determined that the carrier has addressed the range of safety concerns that caused the grounding, although it has put a limit on the number of daily flights it can operate. The lifting of the suspension had already been signaled (Aviation Daily, Aug. 10).
