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.
Air China will compete more strongly in the home territory of rival state carrier China Southern with a deal to take a majority shareholding in long-time target Shenzhen Airlines.
CRAY COMMISSIONED: Australia’s Defense Signals Directorate has commissioned a new Cray supercomputer that the government says will allow faster support by the intelligence agency. The computer also will help the directorate to respond to cyber-threats, according to Greg Combet, the minister for defense personnel, materiel and science. The directorate is equivalent to the U.S. National Security Agency and Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters, with which it works closely.
China Southern will introduce a premium economy class on domestic flights March 28, charging full economy fares for seats with 40% more space. The class will be available first between Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, gradually appearing on all domestic routes. The move is surprising because the price of Chinese airlines’ domestic business classes are not high. Aircraft ranging from Airbus A319s to Boeing 777s will have 24 to 53 premium economy seats at pitches of 89 cm. to 94 cm. (35-37 in.). The airline did not say how it calculated the 40% increase.
