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.
The government of New Zealand is selling off a significant stake in Air New Zealand, although it will still retain majority ownership of the carrier. Currently, the government holds about 73% of Air New Zealand, and will divest 20%. The sale is expected to yield up to NZ$400 million ($334 million). The shares will be placed with retail brokers and institutional investors, with the requirement that they must be sold to New Zealanders. The government’s goal is to have the carrier at least 85% locally owned.
Qantas is urging the Australian government to intervene in rival Virgin Australia’s capital-raising moves that could see three overseas airlines strengthen their hold on the Virgin branded carrier.
Thai AirAsia is achieving healthy profit growth to match its rapid fleet expansion, which suggests why other airlines are rushing to set up operations in Thailand. The carrier achieved a profit of 297.3 million Baht ($9.4 million) in the third quarter, which was up nearly 60% versus the same period last year. The increase was even more notable for the nine months ending Sept. 30, with profits up 70% to 1.5 billion Baht. Capacity for the nine months was 22% higher, thanks to a net increase of six Airbus A320s.
