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.
BEIJING – Chinese engineers have made 36 improvements to the Long March 2F rocket for the launch of the Shenzhou 7 manned capsule scheduled for October. The design changes improve reliability and safety, says China’s state-run Xinhua news agency. One has tackled a vibration problem while others introduce monitoring functions. The rocket earmarked for the launch of Shenzhou 7 has arrived at the launch site at Jiuquan for mating with its boosters and payload, as well as system checks.
China Eastern Airlines proposes to set up a unit to offer business jet travel, subject to government approval. The airline is giving no details, but the move reflects Beijing’s increasingly friendly attitude to business and general aviation, a traditional taboo in a country whose airspace is controlled by the air force as part of national defense policy.
Tiger Airways will set up its second Australian base at Adelaide with two Airbus A319s to be delivered early next year. It says it expects to base more aircraft in the southern city in the following eight years. The budget airline, which has not yet announced routes to be flown from Adelaide, has its main base at Singapore, another at Melbourne, and will set one up at Incheon when a planned South Korean affiliate begins flying under the Tiger brand.
