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.
FAA has determined that the source of a major ATC glitch yesterday morning was a relatively new telecommunications system, and lawmakers are calling for an investigation. The problem occurred at about 5 a.m. EST on Nov. 19, when some systems — including flight data processing — went offline. The problem was fixed by 9 a.m., but it caused hundreds of delays and cancellations across the country. Surveillance and communications were not affected.
Raytheon has won a contract to supply a new air traffic management system in Saudi Arabia. The contract, awarded by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), will extend ATC surveillance throughout Saudi airspace. It will also “enhance flight safety for the rapidly growing domestic airline sector and improve the efficiency of Saudi Arabia’s air traffic management system,” Raytheon said.
It is looking increasingly unlikely that an FAA reauthorization bill can be passed by yearend, meaning yet another short-term extension is on the horizon. FAA is currently operating under a three-month extension that expires Dec. 31, leaving little time for a full reauthorization bill to be completed. A Senate floor vote would have to occur by early December at the latest to meet the yearend deadline — and a congested legislative schedule makes this a real long-shot, industry sources say.
