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.
American is launching a review of its line maintenance operations at its non-hub airports, and the review will likely result in layoffs and possibly the closure of some line maintenance facilities, the airline said. Layoff warning notices were sent to 600 Transport Workers Union members, but the number of actual layoffs has not yet been decided, an American spokesman told The DAILY. The final number will depend on the result of the review, but it will likely be far smaller than the pool of 600 employees notified.
Alaska reported yesterday that its unit costs were lower than expected for the first quarter, although they were still up 23% from last year thanks to fuel prices. A shift in the timing of aircraft maintenance accounted for the lower unit cost estimate, Alaska said. Fuel cost per available seat mile rose 26%, but unit cost excluding fuel dropped 5%. The carrier said it will take a non-cash charge of about $135 million in the first quarter due to the accelerated retirement of its MD-80 fleet.
Air Europa yesterday announced an order for 16 Boeing 737-800s, to be delivered between 2010 and 2014. The carrier will use the new 737s on Spanish domestic routes, including flights to the Balearic and Canary Islands, and on European and North African flights. Air Europa now has orders for 34 737s, and already has 30 in its fleet. The list value of the order is about $1 billion. -AS
