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.
American once again cut its domestic capacity in February, but overall capacity increased due to a boost in international flying. Consolidated capacity was up 2%, with traffic rising 2.5% and load factor improving by 0.3 points to 76.9%. Domestic traffic fell 0.5% on a 0.2% capacity cut, resulting in load factor dropping 0.3 points to 78.8%. International traffic was up 8.4%, with capacity increasing 6%. International loads gained 1.6 points to 73.6%. American Eagle, meanwhile, saw February traffic drop 2.4% and capacity 1.9%. Load factor sank 0.4 points to 69%.
Canadian pension plan executives say they will continue their partial takeover bid for Auckland Airport despite New Zealand government policy change which make it tougher for the takeover to succeed.
Strong yield growth helped offset cost increases for Cathay last year, and the increase was instrumental in boosting 2007 profits by 72%. Premium passenger demand was strong throughout 2007, and yields were up 11.1%, Cathay said. The annual profit rose to a record HK$7 billion (US$898 million), compared to HK$4.1 billion in 2006. Group executives noted the group is beginning to see the benefits of the addition of Dragonair.
