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.
Malaysia Airlines managed to boost both its fourth-quarter and annual net profits, helped by a strong resurgence in traffic. The group posted a gain of RM610 million (US$179.3 million), up from a RM46 million profit in the same period a year earlier. The full-year 2009 profit was RM490 million, more than double the 2008 profit.
FAA last week made some important personnel moves, naming a chief of staff for Administrator Randy Babbitt, as well as a new head of security and hazardous materials.
Qantas plans to add capacity to its Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A380 fleets by dramatically reducing its first-class offering on long-haul flights. By replacing first class sections with business-class seats in nine of its 747s and almost half its A380s, the carrier estimates it is adding the equivalent capacity of three 747s. Qantas says that while demand is recovering overall, long-term trends do not augur well for the first-class product.
