Bradley Perrett covered China, Japan, South Korea and Australia. He is a Mandarin-speaking Australian.
Before joining Aviation Week in 2006 he was a macroeconomics, politics and aerospace journalist with Reuters. Perrett holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Macquarie University, Sydney. He left Aviation Week in 2020.
Lower fuel prices and improved Australian demand have led Virgin Blue Airlines to forecast a profit of A$80 million-A$110 million before tax and exceptional items for the year to June 30, reversing a loss of A$93 million a year earlier. Fuel hedging should further enhance that figure, although the company said only that it expects a credit from its hedging operations.
Ameco Beijing will overhaul United Airlines’ Boeing 747s, as well as the carrier’s 777s, for which it already does heavy maintenance. The 777 work, under a five-year contract signed in 2005, will be extended for a further five years. Heavy maintenance on the 747s will also last for five years. The Chinese maintenance operator, owned by Air China and Lufthansa Technik, says it has also won a contract to provide C-check services for Aeroflot’s four 767-300ERs.
Chinese commercial aircraft builder Comac is aiming to freeze the preliminary design of its 156-seat C919 airliner by the end of this year, working with suppliers and aiming at a first flight in 2014. The suppliers of major systems will be chosen in the first half of this year for the aircraft.
