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.
A task force formed to recommend near-term NextGen priorities has released a draft report for comment, and is expected to issue the final version by Aug. 31. Industry and government representatives have been meeting since February to establish which Next-Gen capabilities can be delivered through 2018. The task force — under the auspices of RTCA — was supposed to focus on when, where and how new technologies and procedures should be introduced by FAA. The final report is scheduled to be showcased during a conference in Washington on Sept. 15.
While yield declines have finally started easing for U.S. airlines, the Air Transport Association warns that demand recovery still appears a distant prospect. The yield drop in July compared to the same month last year was smaller than the decline seen in June. ATA notes that it is yet to be determined if this sequential improvement will continue, but at least the rate of decline is not getting worse.
A new contract proposed for U.S. controllers would cost the FAA an additional $669 million over its three-year duration, according to congressional sources familiar with the tentative agreement.
