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.
Witnesses testifying yesterday at a House aviation subcommittee hearing on runway safety stressed that although FAA has made great strides in addressing the issue, runway incursions continue to climb. The most serious incursions, Categories A and B, actually declined from 69 incidents in Fiscal Year 1999 to 24 in FY2007, U.S. Transportation Dept. Inspector General Calvin Scovel said in written testimony. But in the first three months of this fiscal year, serious incursions have occurred at a rate that could reach the highest level in six years, he wrote.
American’s pilots union is proposing a schedule of contract negotiations that would bring the two sides to mediation by the beginning of April. The protocol recommended by the Allied Pilots Association calls for four consecutive weeks of negotiations beginning March 3. If no agreement is reached, the National Mediation Board would take over the talks. And if there is still no deal after 120 days, the parties would request binding arbitration from NMB.
Emirates plans a $500,000 trial of radio frequency identification technology in its baggage-handling operation at London Heathrow, Dubai and Hong Kong airports. Emirates claims this is the industry’s largest RFID trial. An estimated half-million bags will be tagged in a six-month period.
