Japan-Built Mitsubishi Regional Jet Finally Set to Take Flight
Skift Take
Japan finally breaks into the regional jet market with the much-delayed debut of Mitsubishi’s MRJ aircraft. Its timing is quite favorable, following rival Bombardier's sale of its C Series airliner project to Airbus last year.
A new, long-delayed 88-passenger jet from Japan may finally be the right plane at the right time.
More cities in Asia and Europe are seeking to link up with each other and the global air travel network. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the first airliner built in Japan since the 1960s, began certification flights last month in Moses Lake, Washington, to satisfy that demand.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.’s new airliner is testing the skies just as rivals are moving to sell off their manufacturing operations for jets with up to 160 seats. Boeing Co. is set to buy 80 percent of the Embraer SA’s commercial operations in a joint venture, while Bombardier Inc. last year sold control of its C Series airliner project to Airbus SE and is exploring “strategic options” for its regional-jet operations. At stake, particularly in the market for jets with fewer seats, is $135 billion in sales in the two decades through 2037, according to industry group Japan Aircraft Development Corp.
“Bombardier’s moves do indeed create opportunities for the MRJ,’’ said Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst at Teal Group. “It’s the bigges
