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 revenue for U.S. major carriers jumped 15.4% in March, the third consecutive month of increases, with yields up 11.7%, says the Air Transport Association. The yield rise is by far the strongest in several months — thanks mainly to growth on international routes. “With the global economy continuing to heal, spending on air travel in international markets led the way in March. However, we expect that the recent shutdown of European airspace due to volcanic activity will negatively impact April results,” says ATA President James May.
American saw its first-quarter net loss balloon to $505 million despite improving demand, blaming the wider deficit mainly on rising fuel costs. The quarterly result was significantly worse than the $375 million net loss in the same period in 2009. Operating revenues increased by $229 million, but the carrier paid $211 million more for fuel than it would have at last year’s prices. Non-fuel unit costs were also up 5.7%, and winter storms and the Haiti and Chile natural disasters cut revenue by $20 million-$25 million.
Flights finally began landing again at London Heathrow Airport late on April 20 after U.K. civil aviation authorities reopened much of the nation's airspace, following earlier openings elsewhere in Europe.
