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.
Premium passenger numbers on international routes are increasing at almost double the rate of economy travelers, says the International Air Transport Association. IATA reports that premium passenger totals rose 18.7% year-on-year in May, versus a 10.2% increase for economy. Overall passenger growth was 10.9%. This aligns with data released last month by IATA, which showed revenue passenger kilometers increasing 11.7% in May.
The European Commission has provided a big boost to British Airways, granting its request to operate a transatlantic joint venture with Oneworld partners American Airlines and Iberia, and also giving the green light to the merging of the two European carriers.
Qantas and Boeing have brought forward delivery of Boeing 787s to the Australian airline by two years to 2012. The first 787s delivered to the group will be 787-8s, of which 15 are on order. Eight will arrive from mid-2012, and the other seven, along with 35 787-9s, will enter service from 2014. The carrier will allocate the first aircraft to its Jetstar low-cost subsidiary.
