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.
The LAN Airlines group recently reported its February load factor climbed by five points to 80.5%, with international loads showing the largest increase. Systemwide traffic jumped 27.6% for the month on a 19.7% capacity increase. International traffic -- which comprised 87% of total passenger traffic -- increased 31.3%, compared with a 23% capacity increase. This resulted in international load factor growth of 5.2 points to 82.1%. Domestic traffic in Chile was up 7.3% on a capacity hike of 3.8%, for a load factor rise of 2.3 points to 71%.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) is urging appropriators to ignore the administration's request to cut airport funding to help pay for other priorities -- including the Iraq emergency spending bill. According to Oberstar's letter to Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-Wis.), the White House wants to reduce the Fiscal 2007 obligation limit for the Airport Improvement Program from $3.5 billion to $3.4 billion. The administration also proposes rescinding $284 million in AIP contract authority.
Continental estimates that its mainline unit costs will increase more than 2% in the first quarter of 2007, reversing a year-earlier decline and putting a squeeze on its profitability.
