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.
Qantas believes its foreign ownership level is back below the required 49%, after rising slightly higher than the limit early in May. A recent review of the company's shareholding revealed that foreign ownership was just below 50% as of May 4. But Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon said Qantas has experienced "a massive turnover" in its shares during a failed takeover bid by the Airline Partners Australia consortium. About 55% of Qantas shares have traded since May 4.
The office responsible for planning the next-generation (NextGen) ATC system should be given more independence and greater program oversight, the Government Accountability Office tells House lawmakers. GAO believes the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) should not be moved out of FAA, but does need to be more independent from FAA's Air Traffic Organization. GAO's latest comments about JPDO were provided in response to questions from the House subcommittee on space and aeronautics.
Qatar Airways yesterday placed a huge order for the Airbus A350XWB, a commitment that has been under negotiation for months. The airline signed a memorandum of understanding covering the purchase of 80 A350XWBs -- 20 more than the original A350 deal planned in 2005. Also yesterday, Colombia's Avianca confirmed it will order 38 Airbus aircraft, with an additional 32 options. The deal includes five firm orders and five options for A330-200s, and 33 orders 27 options for A319s and A320s.
