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.
Virgin Blue (VB) estimates an 11-day disruption caused by a computer system failure will cost up to A$20 million (US$19.7 million), and the carrier is signaling it will seek compensation from its information technology providers. The outage of its Navitaire/Accenture-hosted reservations and check-in system resulted in “severe interruption to [VB’s] business,” the airline said, adding it will be “actively pursuing all avenues" to recover this cost.
The International Civil Aviation Organization’s member states have agreed to investigate market-based measures to control emissions by the world’s airlines, expanding on commitments made in 2007 to limit carbon dioxide pollution and set fuel efficiency standards.
Leithen Francis (Singapore), Adrian Schofield (Auckland, New Zealand)
Emirates has been successful in Asia-Pacific markets, particularly where the home carrier is weak, and it has also benefited from the European Commission’s move to ban some Asian carriers due to safety concerns. Travelers in countries subject to an EC ban often have no choice but to fly a foreign carrier to Europe. The commission banned all Indonesian carriers in June 2007, although it did partially lifted that last year by allowing in Garuda Indonesia and a handful of other Indonesian carriers.
