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.
Rockhampton Airport in Queensland, Australia, has reopened for scheduled service more than three weeks after it was closed following severe flooding. The airport suffered the most significant damage in the area by the flooding. Rockhampton was closed from Jan. 1, with its runways and taxiways submerged. The first scheduled Qantas flights resumed Jan. 24. Virgin Blue and Tiger also serve Rockhampton, although Tiger decided to suspend flights through February.
Qantas says it will expand its domestic service in the increasingly important Western Australian market, following closely behind Virgin Blue’s announcement of its own foray into the region. QantasLink is due to start flying between Perth and Exmouth, using Boeing 717s, from March 31. Because of deregulationg on the Perth-Geraldton route. Qantas says it “will now assess options around a possible future operation to Geraldton.” Qantas will also increase capacity on routes within Western Australia and on cross-continent routes from Melbourne to Perth.
U.S. airlines posted a 12th consecutive month of year-on-year revenue increases in December, although yield growth continues to slow, according to data from the Air Transport Association. Passenger revenue for a sample of seven carriers and selected affiliates was up 9% in December. Domestic revenue increased 6%, and international revenue rose 16%. Traffic increased 3%, and yield was up 6%. Revenue increases reflect “ongoing strengthening in demand for travel by air as we enter 2011,” says ATA Chief Economist John Heimlich.
