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.
Fiscal year 2010 funding for FAA and the U.S. Transportation Dept. is included in an umbrella appropriations bill that is expected to be passed by the House and Senate by the end of next week. Several appropriations bills are covered by the wider legislation, which was approved Tuesday night by a House-Senate conference committee. The bill awaits passage on the House and Senate floors.
An airport industry group says more than 18,000 new jobs could be created if Congress includes $1 billion for airport projects in job-growth legislation. “We estimate that the FAA could spend at least $1 billion on [airport] projects if Congress provided [it] with at least 120 days to obligate the funding,” said Airports Council International-North America President Greg Principato in a letter to House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.).
The Senate is expected to quickly approve an extension of FAA’s operating authority that was passed by the House earlier this week. The House measure is likely to be passed by unanimous consent on the Senate floor, industry sources say. This would extend FAA’s authorization for another three months, through the end of March.
