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.
Cargo carrier Kitty Hawk saw its revenue nearly double for the fourth quarter of 2006, although a quarterly profit could not prevent a higher full-year loss. The fourth-quarter net profit of $8.3 million was a good turnaround from the $4.1 million loss a year earlier; however, the full-year net loss of $15.6 million was almost double the 2005 deficit of $8.8 million.
The Essential Air Service determinations for Pago Pago, American Samoa, will remain unchanged from those established in 1984, the U.S. Transportation Dept. decided after reviewing seven years of traffic stats and fare data that the island territory hoped would lead to increased frequencies on the Pago Pago-Honolulu route.
The International Air Transport Association yesterday boosted its estimate for 2007 airline net profits from $2.5 billion to $3.8 billion, and predicted a further profit improvement in 2008. IATA says the increase in its 2007 global industry estimate is driven by better-than-expected traffic trends and tight capacity control. These factors emerged last year and are now carrying into the first quarter, and will offset rebounding oil prices and a U.S. economic slowdown. The last IATA profit forecast was in December.
