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.
Strong passenger demand outweighed cost headaches for British Airways in the June quarter, with the carrier's pre-tax profit climbing 57% to GBP195 million ($372.2 million). Revenue rose 12.5% to GBP2.3 billion, driven mainly by "record [load] factors and better cabin mix," said CEO Willie Walsh. Operating profit rose to GBP211 million, compared to GBP176 million last year, and passenger yield grew 6%. Traffic increased 7.7% on capacity growth of 4.1%, and load factor rose 2.7 points to 78.3%.
Senate leaders last week vowed to return to the airline pension debate after the August recess, allaying concerns from some Senators that the pension legislation passed late Thursday night gives an unfair advantage to Northwest and Delta.
Declining revenue from World Airways military contracts was offset by growing revenue at North American Airlines, but this could not stop a sharp drop in net profits in the March quarter for umbrella company World Air Holdings.
