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.
U.S. airlines saw key performance indicators improve in November, according to the Air Transport Association. Yield, enplanements and revenue were all down year-on-year, but the declines were far less than those reported in October, said ATA. This was partly due to favorable comparisons with a weak November last year and the timing of the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, but it also shows legitimate sequential improvement, the group said.
New concerns over fuel prices and yields are exposing the fragile nature of the airline industry’s recovery, highlighting that even though demand is returning, it will not be enough by itself to propel airlines back to profitability.
A job growth bill passed by the House this week included a $500 million boost for airports, although it did not have the money for accelerating the NextGen ATC modernization plan that airlines were pushing for. The focus now moves to the Senate, which is expected to craft its own bill early next year. The Air Transport Association would have preferred to have NextGen funding included in the House bill, a spokesman said. However, the group is working closely with the Senate, and is “cautiously optimistic we will be successful.”
