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.
The FAA has awarded Lockheed Martin a three- year contract extension to continue to provide automated flight service station services. The contract option that is being exercised is worth $356 million and is a follow-on to the initial contract awarded in 2005. This agreement was unusual for the FAA at the time, as it covered the provision of service as well as the system technology.
Virgin Blue’s Australian operations were thrown into disarray for two days as a major computer failure forced the cancellation of more than 130 flights. At 8 a.m. local time on Sept. 26, the airline’s entire network was affected by the shutdown of its check-in and boarding system. Virgin Blue was forced to cancel 116 flights on that day, with delay totals much higher.
