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.
Late on Sept. 24, the U.S. Senate approved a three-month extension for FAA’s program and funding authority, following similar House action last week. Since the House and Senate proposals are identical, the extension is expected to be signed into law by President Obama next week. This will give FAA operating authority until the end of December, and is the latest in a series of extensions required since the last full authorization expired in 2007.
– FAA debuted the first wide-area multilateration surveillance system to be certified for en route and approach aircraft separation in the U.S. national airspace system. The multilateration system, provided by Sensis, is operated from the Denver en route control center, and covers four airports serving popular Colorado skiing destinations. Currently, this area has gaps in radar coverage, but the multilateration system will enable radar-like separation. FAA last week declared initial operating capability for the Sensis system.
The global downturn has struck the airline industry at a critical time in its drive to liberalize the aviation market. But while economic woes threaten to stall some efforts to eliminate cross-border restrictions, they could also spur action where airlines need it most.
