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.
Cathay yesterday announced a major move in its cargo operation, placing an order with Boeing for 10 747-8 freighters, as well as seven 777ERs for its passenger fleet. The airline is the eighth customer for the 747-8, which now has 73 orders. Almost all of these buyers are for the freighter version. The Cathay deal more than doubles this year's net order total for the aircraft, which previously stood at six.
Eurocontrol estimates Europe will see a 4.6% increase in traffic next summer, and aviation stakeholders have agreed on a laundry list of system improvements to handle the extra volume. The growth for the summer 2008 months -- May to October -- will actually be similar to the 2007 increase of 5.1% during the same period this year. Next year will be "yet another challenging season" for European ATM, with the additional complication of the European Football Championships in Austria and Switzerland, a Eurocontrol official said.
Delta believes FAA's schedule reduction initiative at New York Kennedy Airport discriminates against U.S. airlines because the agency is undertaking a separate proceeding for foreign carriers.
