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.
Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways is ruling out deferring aircraft deliveries even as it accelerates retirements of Boeing 747-400s in response to weak demand. “It is always the case that when oil prices are high you want your new aircraft,” says CEO John Slosar. “Even though your business might be tough, but the last thing you want to do is hold on to your old aircraft, which are the least fuel-efficient.” Cathay expects delivery of 24 777-300ERs and 14-15 Airbus A330s in the coming three years.
The head of Airbus’s Chinese operation is optimistic that a dispute over European environmental regulation will not force the company to find new buyers for aircraft being blocked by Beijing. If necessary, Airbus could easily find new customers for 35 A330s that the government refuses to authorize, since demand for the type is strong, said Laurence Barron, Airbus’s president for China during this week's International Air Transport Association annual general meeting. However, he added, “My own view is that we will not get to that stage.”
