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.
Continental this week announced it will add daily nonstop service from its Newark hub to Ponce, the airline's third Puerto Rico destination. The daily flight is scheduled to begin Nov. 17, using a Boeing 737-700 aircraft with 14 seats in first class and 141 in coach. During the off-peak season, the airline will operate the flight four times a week, using a 737-700 with 12 first-class and 112 coach seats.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is urging FAA to postpone federal funding for the relocation of a runway at Los Angeles airport until environmental studies are conducted. FAA said last week it will provide nearly $40 million for the project, which will help reduce runway crossings and the risk of incursions. The project involves the construction of a new parallel taxiway between runways 7R/25L and 7L/25R, requiring 7R/25L to be moved about 56 feet to the south (DAILY, Aug. 8).
U.S. airlines saw mainline unit revenue grow 7.4% in July, which beat the expectations of some of the leading Wall St. airline analysts. The July growth was higher than Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Linenberg's forecast of a 4%-5% boost, and JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker said the increase was "nicely ahead" of his prediction of 6% growth. Unit revenue growth numbers were based on the Air Transport Association's July traffic and yield reports for eight major carriers.
