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 airline cost index increased by 19.3% in the third quarter, a substantially higher growth rate than the 3.3% rise in the Consumer Price Index for the same period, the Air Transport Association revealed last week. The composite cost index rose to 176.7, with fuel and labor by far the largest components. Fuel represented 27.4% of the total and labor 23.6%. The index is derived from a formula that combines several cost inputs. It also gauges changes in fuel efficiency, labor productivity and breakeven load factors.
British Airways will have to decide by Wednesday which flights it will be forced to cancel due to a looming cabin crew strike, unless the airline can reach an 11th-hour agreement with the Transport and General Workers Union. The T&G union announced over the weekend that its cabin crew members will strike for three days, beginning Jan. 29, if no deal is reached. This would be followed by three-day strikes beginning Feb. 5 and Feb. 12. The strike threat grew out of a long-simmering dispute over work and pay rules that came to a head in recent weeks.
Airbus yesterday added another customer for its new A330-200 freighter program, with Guggenheim Aviation Partners ordering six of the aircraft. According to Airbus, GAP becomes the first customer to sign a contract for the A330-200F, converting a letter-of-intent completed last October. GAP will be one of the launch customers for the aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin in early 2010.
