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 Allied Pilots Association says it is strengthening its opposition to the antitrust immunity application by American and certain of its oneworld partners. The union is now urging the U.S. Transportation Dept. to decline the application. Previously, APA said it had concerns with the proposal, and asked for DOT to “proceed with caution and conduct full due diligence.”
As the Office of Management and Budget begins to form its plans for the fiscal 2011 budget, two key House members have begun a lobbying effort against potential aviation user fee proposals for fiscal 2011. House aviation subcommittee chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and ranking Republican Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) circulated a letter within the House asking President Obama to keep potential general aviation user fees out of the fiscal 2011 budget. Both lawmakers offered their support instead to continuation of the aviation excise taxes.
The short history of the FAA’s NextGen modernization effort is littered with reports and road maps, but a new review by an independent task force could cause the program’s largest shake-up yet. Industry and FAA officials believe the latest recommendations will lead to a shift in NextGen priorities, redirecting attention to the problems that most concern airspace users. This should go a long way to overcoming airline skepticism that the modernization effort will pay off for them—although carriers may still need convincing that the FAA will follow through.
