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.
Tiger Airways Australia head Tony Davis is leaving the troubled carrier just as it is ramping up services after a lengthy grounding by Australian regulators. Davis is leaving Tiger to take up another position, the carrier says in a statement. Tiger says Davis’s decision to depart “supports his long-term plan to return and reside in Europe.” He will leave Tiger effective Nov. 1. The company says it is “in the process of appointing a permanent replacement” for Davis at the Australian carrier.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) can be forgiven for making a big deal out of the delivery of its first Boeing 787. Its status as launch customer has figured pretty heavily in the airline's marketing, but it has had to endure a long wait for that privilege. First delivery is now expected in late September, more than three years after the originally scheduled date. When the initial aircraft does arrive, ANA will not be in the exclusive club for long—the second customer, ANA's local rival Japan Airlines (JAL), could receive its first 787 just a few months later.
Air New Zealand is launching a sweeping review of its long-haul business, which will encompass everything from airline partnerships to fleet mix and aircraft configuration. The review is prompted by underperformance of the long-haul division compared with the airline’s other operations. Long-haul routes have been collectively losing NZ$1 million ($800,000) per week for the past six months, one of the main reasons Air NZ’s pre-tax profit dropped 45% to NZ$75 million for the fiscal year through June 30.
