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.
Major partners in the oneworld alliance are offering management guidance, more capital and $500 million in commercial benefits to Japan Airlines, which is now one step closer to bankruptcy after an agreement between its creditors and the government. In a meeting with Transport Minister Seiji Maehara, JAL’s major creditor banks have tentatively agreed to the government’s proposal that the airline should go bankrupt and be reorganized under court supervision, despite the risk of damaging its brand, Kyodo news agency reports.
Rising yields in the second half of 2009 are a positive sign for the industry, but could not offset the fare decreases seen in the first half, according to the International Air Transport Association. Average international fares in 2009 were down 10%-15% year-on-year, resulting in the largest revenue fall the industry has ever seen in the sector, IATA said. There was a sharp decline in the first half, but then yields began increasing in the second half in response to higher load factors.
American and British Airways yesterday refuted the Justice Dept.’s arguments against their proposed transatlantic joint venture, while Virgin Atlantic reiterated its support for the DOJ objections. The respective comments yielded few surprises, as Virgin has been a long-standing critic of the oneworld antitrust immunity application. The real significance of the latest airline submissions is that they move the U.S. Transportation Dept. closer to making its initial ruling on the ATI application.
