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.
Good progress is being made in forming a single massive airspace block for en route traffic over most of central and western Europe, participants say. A feasibility study is expected to be completed next year, and political commitment from the nations involved will be sought within 12 months. This “functional airspace block” – one of several being created through the Single European Sky process – would include Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
Growing airline profitability and shrinking debt levels are expected to stall next year, raising concerns that the sector’s state could worsen before improving again in 2009. The International Air Transport Assn. for the second time in the last six months has revised downward its estimate of industry performance in 2008, this time forecasting a $5-billion profit. An earlier estimate put it at $7.8 billion. The level also is below this year’s profit projection of $5.6 billion.
The International Air Transport Assn. is seeing worrying trends in airline safety—particularly a move by some carriers to lower qualification requirements as they struggle to fill pilot seats. The demand for 17,000 pilots per year is 3,000-3,500 above what training programs can accommodate, notes Juergen Haacker, IATA’s director of operations safety. The first signs of trouble from that shortfall are emerging as some airlines are offering captain positions with flight time requirements 50% below accepted minimum levels, he asserts.
