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.
Although it may not be attracting headlines like the FAA reauthorization effort, one of the agency's most crucial and ambitious modernization programs is quietly preparing for its debut. Contractor Lockheed Martin and FAA are about to put the en route automation modernization (ERAM) program through formal acceptance testing at the agency's Atlantic City tech center. At the same time, the first deployment has already begun at the Salt Lake City en route ATC center, said Sue Corcoran, VP-aviation solutions for Lockheed's Transportation and Security unit.
Qantas is taking an aggressive approach to maintaining market share by adding more A320s to the Jetstar fleet and transferring 767-300s from international to domestic duties. The airline linked these moves with the impending entry of Tiger Airways into the domestic market, and the expansion of Virgin Blue. Qantas plans to add nine more A320s to the Jetstar fleet, reportedly looking to lease most of them from ILFC. The aircraft will be delivered over a 15-month period beginning late this year.
Boeing yesterday revealed Avianca as the customer for 10 anonymous 787 orders, the largest Latin American order yet for the 787 program. As well as the 10 firm orders, the Colombian carrier also secured purchase rights for another 10 aircraft. The order was previously attributed to an unidentified customer on the Boeing Web site. Leasing company LCAL was also identified as the customer for one unidentified 787, bringing LCAL's 787 order total to 15. The company's previous orders were placed in 2005.
