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.
Sensis Corp. is completing factory acceptance testing on a new runway status lights (RWSL) system that is expected to debut at Orlando International Airport in the fourth quarter of this year. Orlando is the first of 23 U.S. airports that will receive RWSL under a contract awarded by the FAA. The agency has authorized installation to begin at another five airports on this list. The RWSL system is designed to provide an automatic warning for pilots if a runway is not safe to enter.
Transport Canada is planning ramp inspections for Mexican air operators flying into the country “to verify continued compliance with our regulatory requirements,” the agency says. Should any problems be found, Transport Canada “will take immediate action to address the identified deficiencies, including, but not limited to, operating certificate suspension.” FAA recently downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating, due to oversight concerns (DAILY, Aug. 2).
While capacity growth on international routes has been generally keeping pace with traffic this year, a few worrying signs are emerging on the supply front, according to the International Air Transport Association. Through the first half of the year, passenger capacity returned “at a rate more or less matching the expansion in demand,” IATA says in its latest financial report. But in June, international capacity rose at a faster rate than demand—increasing 10% year-on-year versus a 6% hike in traffic.
