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.
The Chinese airport where a Henan Airlines regional jet crashed during the evening of Aug. 24 is unsuitable for night landings, according to China Southern, which flies from the airfield only in daylight. The Henan Airlines Embraer 190 appears to have brushed trees on its final approach to the airport before crashing 2 km. (1.1 nm.) from the runway. Branches on trees about 1 km. back from the crash site show signs of having been scraped, says Deputy Chief of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Li Jian.
DEATH PENALTY: Singapore will now impose the death penalty or life imprisonment on hostage takers acting against governments of international organizations. The city-state’s new anti-terrorism law also strengthens the hand of authorities trying to stop ransoms being paid, giving them the power to freeze bank accounts. Murder, including killing a hostage, is already punishable by death in Singapore.
Private Vietnamese airline Air Mekong plans to begin flying on Oct. 10 with four Bombardier CRJ900s supplied by U.S. carrier SkyWest. Air Mekong will connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Phu Quoc, Da Lat, Nha Tran and Da Nang. It has applied to the government to add Con Dao, Buon Me Thuot, Hai Phong and Vinh to destinations it serves from Ho Chi Minh City. The carrier will be based at Phu Quoc. Utah-based SkyWest has invested $7 million to acquire a 30% stake in Air Mekong.
