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.
Japan Airlines will merge its four aircraft maintenance subsidiaries as a single company to be called JAL Engineering Co. Ltd, or JALEC, to improve productivity. JAL Engineering will also take on some of the business of JAL International Co. Ltd., the group’s main airline operating company.
Air China’s parent is likely to buy a 90% stake in East Star Airlines, based in the central chinese city Wuhan, to improve its network in central China. The parent company, China National Aviation Holding, would have a right to take full ownership after two years, state media report, quoting an executive of the bidder. East Star is a small operator of A320-family aircraft. The initial stake would cost Air China ¥600 million (US$88 million).
AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia, is looking for up to five more Airbus A340-300s to support growth while awaiting the 25 A350s or Boeing 787s that it is planning to order. The airline needs the aircraft to extend its network to such destinations as Germany, France and New Zealand. It now has three A330s and a single A340, linking Kuala Lumpur with three Australian destinations and one in China. London will be added to the network next month.
