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.
New York area airports were hit by flight delays Friday when one of FAA's flight plan processing centers went offline. The Atlanta national aviation data integration network (NADIN) malfunctioned Friday morning, and flight plans had to be processed at the other NADIN at Salt Lake City. The extra volume at Salt Lake City caused a processing backlog. The Atlanta system was repaired, and all FAA centers were reconnected by 11 a.m., but some New York facilities took until nearly 1 p.m., and saw more delays than other areas.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is calling for a clause in the FAA reauthorization bill to require an independent study of FAA's controller staffing standards, while Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) has highlighted apparent discrepancies between traffic levels and controller staffing at some airports.
IATA yesterday called for a firm, five-year deadline to be applied to the restructuring of European airspace, and the group believes airspace improvements should be a prerequisite for any new environmental requirements.
