Short-Body MRJ to Be Launched in Late 2021

June 29, 2018

Moses Lake, Washington- Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said Thursday that it plans to launch a short-body version of its Mitsubishi Regional Jet with 70 passenger seats in late 2021 at the earliest.

The subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. judged that in addition to the standard model with 90 seats, which is under development, an early launch of a short-body model suitable for the largest market of the United States is needed.

Alexander Bellamy, head of Mitsubishi Aircraft's MRJ Program Management Division, said in Moses Lake, Washington, where the foothold for MRJ flight tests is located, that the company is developing a "detailed" strategy to boost its competitiveness. He said the company hopes to launch the 70-seat MRJ in late 2021 to early 2022.

Bellamy insisted that the development of the standard model, whose delivery was postponed five times, is going well toward the current target of the middle of 2020.

The company has already received orders for a total of 407 units of the 90-seat model from airlines in and outside Japan.

In the United States, major carriers often outsource short-haul flight operations to regional airlines. But due to labor-management agreements, major companies cannot consign operations of aircraft with more than 76 seats.

In North America, some 900 small passenger jets are expected to be replaced. With Brazil's Embraer SA, Mitsubishi Aircraft's biggest rival, having no plan to launch any new 70-seat model so far, the MRJ developer hopes to meet demand through the launch of the short-body model. Jiji Press