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.
Passenger demand on international routes dropped 2.4% year-on-year in April, breaking this year’s trend of steady increases, according to the International Air Transport Association.
House lawmakers from both parties are urging Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) to water down legislation requiring FAA to regularly inspect foreign repair stations. Oberstar’s repair station proposal – included in the House FAA reauthorization bill – has been heavily criticized by the airline and maintenance, repair and overhaul industries, and the European Union. They prefer the Senate version, which would essentially exempt nations that have bilateral safety agreements with the U.S.
The FAA has awarded another round of NextGen contracts worth more than $4.3 billion over 10 years, aimed at demonstrating concepts such as four-dimensional ATC and advanced weather systems. If options are exercised, Boeing will receive $1.7 billion, General Dynamics $1.2 billion, and ITT $1.4 billion. The base contracts are for five years, with two options to extend. Each company will receive specific task orders through the contract term.
