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.
After a brief respite in April and May, flight delays rose again in the first two weeks of June, possibly a bad omen for the rest of the summer travel season, the U.S. Transportation Dept.'s Inspector General says in a report released last week.
Yesterday was a big day for Airbus' A320 family, with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) and Chilean carrier LAN deciding to order 65 aircraft from the A320 program. GECAS signed a letter-of-intent for 40 aircraft, comprising A319s and A320s. The leasing company will have the option of converting some of the orders to the larger A321. GECAS has already placed all of its Airbus backlog with carriers, and is looking for additional capacity to meet demand for this size aircraft, Airbus said.
Boeing yesterday named 3M head and Boeing board member James McNerney -- not quite an outsider or an insider -- as its new CEO, and McNerney said he will not make changes to the aerospace giant's strategies. The choice of McNerney appears to achieve two objectives for Boeing: He is far enough removed from the company's operations that he is not tainted by previous ethics scandals but starts with in-depth knowledge of Boeing through his three-and-a-half years on the company's board.
