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.
Israel’s El Al is continuing to improve its financial performance despite cost challenges and growing competition, reporting a US$31.7 million profit for 2007, compared with a loss of about the same size in the previous year. El Al said its 2007 revenue was up 16% to US$1.93 billion. The airline had to contend with “a steep upsurge in competition” as well as high fuel prices and “geopolitical conditions worldwide.” Airline executives said El Al is still on track with its 2010 strategic plan.
The new U.S./European Union open-skies agreement does not create too many competitive headaches at London Heathrow despite the addition of extra transatlantic flights, a Virgin Atlantic executive believes.
The U.K.’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) announced last week it has renewed Lockheed Martin’s support contract for its London Area Control (LAC) operation, in a deal worth GBP80 million (US$161 million). The contract extension is the second awarded to Lockheed for support of LAC. It will cover support and maintenance for the LAC ATC system through 2013, although options could extend this through 2018.
