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.
China’s Capital Helicopter has acquired authorization to run air taxi services. With China gradually opening its low-altitude airspace to civilian use, the Beijing-based company is aiming at a broad range of rotary wing operations across the country, with capital of 300 million yuan ($48 million). Capital Helicopter has three Eurocopter AS350B3 Squirrels in service and two on order, while also awaiting delivery of two EC135P2+ helicopters.
Avic says it will put its highest priority in coming years on aero-engine technology, a field of aerospace in which China has conspicuously lagged. The group has set a budget of 10 billion yuan ($1.56 billion) for aero-engine work for the next five years, says Avic President Lin Zuoming.
The Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) is looking for more capacity at Shanghai by trying out a new air route and cracking down on airlines wasting slots. Air China this month is flying on the second route between Beijing Capital and Shanghai Hongqiao airports. Though the route is less direct than the current one, which itself is not straight, it makes up for its 250 km (160 mi.) of extra length and more than 10 min. of additional flight time by being free of congestion.
