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.
Asiana Airlines and Turkish Airlines have signed an agreement that will expand their code-sharing on flights between Korea and Turkey and to beyond destinations. Asiana on March 29 launched three weekly flights from Seoul to Istanbul, using Boeing 777-200s. Combined with the Turkish service on this route, Asiana says it can offer 10 weekly flights to Istanbul.
Qantas says it will cut its capacity targets for the current fiscal year by suspending some flights and accelerating aircraft retirements as it looks to offset soaring fuel costs and the effects of natural disasters in Australia and overseas. The carrier says it is implementing “a range of measures to reposition the business.” The capacity cuts are the most significant, but Qantas is also reducing management numbers and increasing fuel surcharges.
Japan Airlines received court permission on March 28 to exit bankruptcy protection, and then announced temporary capacity cuts on many international routes. The airline secured reorganization financing of 254.96 billion yen ($3.1 billion) from 11 companies, which allowed it to pay back existing loans and obligations totaling 395.15 billion yen. This represents a “one-time, full repayment of reorganization claims,” the carrier says. The carrier is slated soon to receive another 12.7 billion yen in financing.
