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.
Saab Sensis Corp. will install its airport surface surveillance technology at nine or more U.S. airports under a contract awarded by the FAA that could be worth up to $119 million. The FAA has long signaled that it was considering extending the number of airports that will receive the Airport Surface Detection Equipment–Model X (ASDE-X) system. While the latest contract is called Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC), it is essentially the same technology Sensis installed at 35 major airports under ASDE-X.
With its launch still seven weeks away, new Japanese low-cost carrier Peach already has plans to substantially expand its network. Peach unveiled five new routes, all short-haul international destinations, to complement its first three. While it is not yet revealing the launch date for half its flights, the carrier signaled that all eight will begin with the summer 2012 schedule.
Three teams of companies are bidding to provide an air-to-ground data communications network for the FAA that will be a vital element of the NextGen modernization effort, with a contract award expected in June. The FAA’s Data Comm program will enable controllers to relay takeoff clearance and other instructions to pilots via text, rather than voice. This will make it quicker to send and revise clearances, while reducing errors. It will also enable the transmission of complex flight profiles required by NextGen and reduce radio frequency congestion.
