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.
Aviation stakeholders in the Middle East have endorsed a policy declaration in which they commit to work together to improve air traffic management in the region. The declaration was announced during a Jan. 25 high-level meeting arranged by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO). ATM providers, airlines, ICAO and other civil aviation organizations were represented.
Passenger traffic on international routes rose by 4.5% year-on-year in December, but traffic for the full year dropped 3.5% — the highest annual decline on record, according to the International Air Transport Association. The December traffic growth coincided with a capacity cut of 0.7%, resulting in load factor rising to 77.6%. The 4.5% increase in traffic continues the trend of steady improvement, after a 2.1% rise in November. However, adjusting for seasonal variation, IATA estimates there was a 1.6% increase from November to December.
FAA is expecting a spike in operations in South Florida airports before the Superbowl on Feb. 7, and the agency is introducing its usual range of airspace restrictions. General aviation traffic for this game and the Pro Bowl game a week earlier will begin arriving at South Florida airports from Jan. 22, FAA estimates. The main exodus will be on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. The agency expects to handle an extra 650-700 flights during the Super Bowl period, but they should not disrupt airline operations.
