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 New Zealand government is planning a wide-ranging overhaul of its aviation policy framework, in an effort to improve access to overseas markets and make its regulatory process more flexible.
While the economic outlook may have darkened since the last Top-Performing Airlines (TPA) study, the best airlines are still on top. This mid-term update shows the same three carriers ranked first in their sectors by healthy margins, proving that their business models still give them an edge during global uncertainty. Note that these are not full TPA lists—merely a snapshot of the top 10 in each category.
The global airline industry appears to have passed its latest financial peak, and the billion-dollar question now is how far—and how quickly—it will fall before bouncing back. Airlines will be hoping that the dip is a brief one, but the cyclical history of this industry shows that a sustained drop is just as likely.
