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.
International passenger traffic growth slowed markedly in January, which the International Air Transport Association believes could be the first sign of an industry slowdown which has IATA seriously considering another downgrade in its profit predictions. Traffic was up 4.3% for the month, down significantly from the 6.7% growth in December and the 7.4% for full-year 2007. However, capacity growth was held to 4.2%, which meant load factors improved slightly to 75.1%.
AAR Corp. yesterday said it has signed an agreement to acquire Miami-based Avborne Heavy Maintenance, Inc., in a deal that will give AAR a fourth major airframe overhaul facility, add new customers to its roster and expand the breadth of its capabilities. Financial details were not released, but AAR expects the deal to close well before the end of its current fiscal year on May 31. AAR plans to retain Avborne’s current management.
AirTran yesterday announced it will begin flying to San Antonio this summer, in the process fulfilling its vow to introduce at least three new destinations to its network this year.
