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.
A prominent U.S. think-tank is proposing a model for consolidating FAA air traffic control facilities in parallel with the NextGen program, and is urging the FAA to create a comprehensive consolidation plan. The Reason Foundation in a new report estimates that the current 20 en-route centers and 167 terminal radar approach control (Tracon) facilities could be replaced by five high-altitude centers, eight integrated control facilities and 38 consolidated Tracons. This could result in one-off savings of $1.7 billion, and annual savings of around $1 billion.
The proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways has been given the green light by a bankruptcy court, although more approvals are needed before the deal can be finalized. After a hearing in New York on March 27, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the merger plan. The widely-expected decision is an important step in American’s emergence from bankruptcy protection. However, American still needs to gain court approval for its reorganization plan, and regulatory clearance also is needed for the US Airways merger.
