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 year-on-year drop in international passenger traffic narrowed to just 0.3% in September, but the improvement is misleading because there was a steep falloff in the same month in 2008. September saw the recent trend of shrinking declines continue, according to International Air Transport Association data. The year-on-year drop was less than the 1.1% fall in August, and the 2.9% reduction in July. However, September benefits from favorable comparisons, since traffic declined 2.9% year-on-year last September.
U.S. lawmakers, government auditors and industry representatives yesterday applauded a report on mid-term ATC modernization needs, but they also voiced concerns about its implementation. A sweeping NextGen review coordinated by RTCA was examined during a House aviation subcommittee oversight hearing. Witnesses agreed the report is a milestone for the NextGen effort. However, they called for further policy and structural changes at FAA, and said discussion is still needed on incentivizing equipage.
El Al has announced its next president and CEO will be former Israeli Air Force chief Elyezer Shkedi, effective in January. Holding the rank of brigadier general, Shkedi was commander-in-chief of the IAF for four years. He joined the Israeli Defense Forces in 1975. Romano previously announced he would stand down, after heading El Al for five years.
