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 Senate is expected on March 22 to hold a final vote on the FAA reauthorization bill, with only a few amendments remaining to be decided before then.
Passenger numbers on international routes rose 5.7% in January, according to the International Air Transport Association. The increase was similar for the premium and economy passenger categories, which were up 5.5% and 5.7%, respectively, year-over-year. Compared to December, January’s premium numbers rose 0.2%, and are 9.4% higher than their lowest level in 2009. Economy passenger numbers, meanwhile, declined 0.7% compared to December.
House lawmakers on March 17 approved a three-month extension of FAA’s operating authority. This will cover the agency from March 31 — when the current extension expires — through July 3. This will allow time for the Senate and House to reconcile their long-term FAA reauthorization bills. The Senate is still debating its version of the reauthorization bill, and began voting March 16 and 17 on a long list of proposed amendments.
