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.
Qantas has made significant changes to its plans for an Asian-based premium carrier, and is now negotiating with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) for a joint-venture based on some of the Airbus A330 aircraft that MAS has on order. The Australian carrier had previously said it wanted to set up the premium carrier in either Malaysia or Singapore, using eight of the 110 A320s that it had ordered. But Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says the airline is now pursuing a “capital-light” plan for the startup, as it looks to cut capital expenditure.
Japan Airlines has boosted its Boeing 787 order to 45 aircraft, with a new deal for 10 787-9s and the conversion of 10 of its existing 787-8 orders to -9s. The total 787 order now consists of 25 787-8s, and 20 -9s, with another 20 options. The 787-9s are set to enter service from 2015, a year after the -9 launch customer Air New Zealand is scheduled to take its first delivery.
Japan Airlines is taking major steps toward tightening its relationships with its Oneworld partners, applying for a joint business agreement with the International Airlines Group (IAG) and announcing a code-share with Air Berlin. The joint business agreement (JBA) between JAL and IAG has been expected for some time, with the carriers signaling their intention to form such a link since JAL decided in February 2010 to stay with Oneworld instead of switching to SkyTeam.
