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.
Leading Asian airlines are gaining a valuable competitive advantage from their proximity to China, as this market's enormous potential transforms into rapid growth. The big question now is how long it will take China's own carriers to exploit the boom and join the Asian giants in the industry's top echelon.
Comparing the operating performance of low-cost and mainline airlines highlights that while growth can be a good thing, sometimes restraint can pay off even more. The low-cost/niche carrier segment is generally weaker than the mainline category in the latest Top-Performing Airlines study, and the low-cost carriers (LCC) did not see the same sharp improvement through 2010 that their legacy counterparts enjoyed.
While Regional Express Holdings (REX) was the top performer in the regional category for the third year running, the performance of the category overall was lackluster. Only Australia's REX and U.S. carrier Republic Airways saw their scores increase, with the other carriers sliding. The TPA council of advisers sees a bleak future for U.S. regionals and believes more consolidation is likely.
