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.
Airbus yesterday added another customer for its new A330-200 freighter program, with Guggenheim Aviation Partners ordering six of the aircraft. According to Airbus, GAP becomes the first customer to sign a contract for the A330-200F, converting a letter-of-intent completed last October. GAP will be one of the launch customers for the aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin in early 2010.
Two of the biggest industry players in the next-generation air traffic management system planning effort have signed an agreement that will let them bid together on major contracts. Boeing and Lockheed Martin yesterday announced a strategic alliance to work on future ATM concepts. FAA and other government agencies are developing a blueprint for the next-generation air transport system (NGATS) through the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO), and this is expected to produce contracting opportunities to demonstrate new procedures and technology.
The latest guidance issued by Continental leads at least one analyst to predict a "modest loss" for the airline in the first quarter, hard on the heels of a profitable 2006. JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said the guidance caused him to change his first-quarter prediction for the airline that was issued the previous day. His first forecast -- like those of other analysts -- predicted a first-quarter profit, following slightly better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
