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.
While prospects are improving for U.S. airlines, the near future appears much more dire for the global industry, the International Air Transport Assn. says. International traffic shrank in October compared with the same period last year, the second consecutive month of decline and likely the start of a prolonged trough.
The deepening recession is curtailing air travel, but not enough to deflate U.S. airlines’ confidence that a return to profitability is just around the corner. The industry’s determination to slash capacity should allow carriers to prosper in 2009 even as other U.S. sectors face a bleak future.
Iberia CEO Fernando Conte does not see a three-way merger among his company, British Airways and Qantas as a realistic goal. Conte told attendees of an Aviation Club meeting in London that it would be “too complex” for British Airways to pursue two mergers at the same time, in effect leaving BA CEO Willie Walsh to choose between Iberia and Qantas as his carrier’s future merger partner.
