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 FAA is hiring thousands of air traffic controllers to stay ahead of a spike in retirements, but this is raising new concerns about an increasingly inexperienced workforce. Trainees now comprise a quarter of the U.S. controller staff—up to half at some facilities—and this ratio is set to rise further.
The International Air Transport Association is calling for the Obama Administration to boost funding for ATC modernization in stimulus efforts, and the group also urges the new White House to put aviation liberalization, security and environmental issues on its priority list.
Hawaiian Airlines reported a net loss of $11.9 million in the fourth quarter, compared to a profit of $3.3 million in the same period in 2007. However, the operating result reflected a significant improvement, with Hawaiian recording a fourth quarter operating profit of $38.1 million compared to a $2 million loss in 2007. Operating revenue rose nearly 20% to $300.5 million. Capacity increased 1.9%, load factor dropped 6.4 points to 80.4%, yield was up 23.5% and unit revenue rose 17.8%. The full-year net profit was $28.6 million, up from $7.1 million in 2007.
