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 Pacific has reached a tentative agreement with its flight attendant union that would prevent potential strikes during the summer-travel period. The union and the airline have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) after negotiations overseen by Hong Kong’s labor department. Flight attendants have been protesting over concerns about pay structure, overseas allowances and changes to legal protection policy wording.
Group CEO Tony Fernandes says his focus for 2015 is “turning around [the two affiliates] and the recovery of debt” from these carriers. He has set a goal for Indonesia AirAsia (IAA) to be profitable by the second half of the year, and for Philippine AirAsia (PAA) to break even by the fourth quarter.
The airline estimates that connections from its Australian network will contribute at least as much revenue as New Zealand-originating passengers on its Auckland-Buenos Aires flight, due to launch in December.
