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.
FAA denies that it has recently increased its hiring of the controllers who were fired by President Reagan in 1981, contradicting claims by the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO). According to FAA, the agency in fiscal 2006 sent 18 official job offers to PATCO controllers, many of which were not accepted. No PATCO controllers have been hired since July, the agency said. PATCO President Ron Taylor last week said FAA has sent job offers to a large number of PATCO controllers (DAILY, Oct. 23).
Air New Zealand is making changes to its Pacific network that will see the airline drop its long-running Rarotonga-Papeete-Los Angeles "Coral Route." Air NZ will instead code share with Air Tahiti Nui on four of its daily Papeete-Los Angeles flights, and the pair will also code share on four weekly Auckland-Papeete flights, two from each carrier. Air NZ will reinstate weekly nonstop service between Rarotonga and Los Angeles, and this will be operated twice a week during the peak season.
Airbus nearly doubled its year-to-date narrow body orders yesterday when it signed an order for 150 Airbus A320-family aircraft with the Chinese government.
