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.
International passenger demand growth was back up in the double digits in September following a brief slowdown in August. Premium traffic rose 12.1% year-on-year in September, with economy demand increasing 9.3%, according to the International Air Transport Association. These growth rates were almost double those recorded in August and a return to the level of increases seen in July.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is a leading candidate to chair the Senate aviation subcommittee next year, industry sources say. Current subcommittee Chairman Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) has decided to retire. Having Cantwell at the head of this panel would put another Boeing supporter in a prominent position in the Senate, with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) expected to again chair the Appropriations Committee’s transportation subcommittee.
Australian safety authorities expect by the end of this week to finish their inspection of the Qantas Airbus A380 engine that suffered an uncontained failure near Singapore on Nov. 4. The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine “is being progressively dismantled” in an engine workshop in Singapore, according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The agency says it will issue a preliminary factual report by Dec. 3.
