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.
Australian competition regulators have launched court proceedings against Air New Zealand and Japan Airlines, adding them to list of carriers they are accusing of price-fixing on certain freight operations. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) filed the complaints in the Federal Court on May 17, and an initial hearing has been scheduled on June 10. The ACCC is seeking “declarations, injunctive relief, pecuniary penalties and costs.”
Traffic on international routes is continuing to climb rapidly this year, particularly in premium cabins, according to the International Air Transport Association. First- and business-class passenger numbers rose 10.8% year-on-year in March and economy passengers 8.8%. For the first quarter, growth was similar in both premium and economy, up 7.6% and 7.4%, respectively. While these signs are encouraging, IATA also noted that the ash-related flight cancellations will cut international travel by about 4% in April.
The White House intends to nominate FBI Deputy Director John Pistole as the next head of the Transportation Security Administration. In announcing the choice, President Barack Obama noted that “the talent and knowledge John has acquired in more than two decades of service with the FBI will make him a valuable asset to our administration's efforts to strengthen the security and screening measures at our airports.” The two previous Obama nominations for the TSA job have withdrawn their names after running into trouble during the confirmation process.
