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.
Air New Zealand (ANZ) believes that both Australian and New Zealand regulators could decide by the end of this week if a proposed partnership with Virgin Blue can go ahead. ANZ CEO Rob Fyfe says he is “hopeful that we will get a decision” by then from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and he is also optimistic that a ruling will be made this week by New Zealand’s Ministry of Transport.
Qantas has reached an agreement to buy Western Australian air charter operator Network Aviation, which will help it meet the growing demand for flights to mining centers. Subject to finalization, the deal would see Network Aviation become a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas. The carrier operates two Fokker 100s and six Embraer EMB-120ERs.
A Qantas union is accusing the carrier of disciplining engineers who raised safety concerns at its regional subsidiary, Qantaslink. The Aircraft Engineers International union says more than 20 licensed engineers for Qantaslink had their pay docked after they determined that aircraft defects needed to be corrected before flight. However, the carrier accuses the mechanics of engaging in a work slow down. The two are in a long-running contract dispute.
