Flight International – 11 June 2019

46 | Flight International | 11-17 June 2019 flightglobal.com

PARIS

Special report

M

itsubishi Aircraft may be too busy

in its MRJ90 regional jet

certification campaign to bring

one to the Paris air show, but the

airframer could be poised to unveil details

about a redesign of its smaller MRJ70,

nicknamed The Concept.

Ahead of the show, chief development of-

ficer Alex Bellamy noted: “I think it’s going to

be our best air show.” He was speaking to re-

porters at the opening of Mitsubishi Aircraft’s

new US headquarters in Renton, Washington

in May. One of the major reasons for his opti-

mism is that the 90-seat MRJ90 is progressing

towards certification from the Japan Civil Avi-

ation Bureau (JCAB) and the US Federal Avia-

tion Administration (FAA), ahead of its

planned 2020 entry into service.

Since then, it has also emerged that Mitsub-

ishi is in advanced discussions with Bombar-

dier about taking over the Canadian manufac-

turer’s CRJ programme, and may be planning

an announcement at Paris. If successful, such

a move would give Mitsubishi, as a new OEM

with a new aircraft programme, an instant af-

termarket infrastructure and access to a huge

legacy CRJ customer base.

Certification of the MRJ90 would be a

major milestone for Mitsubishi as a new

OEM. The MRJ90 will be the first airliner built

in Japan since the YS-11 turboprop, first pro-

duced in 1962 by the now-defunct Nihon Air-

craft Manufacturing Corporation.

But the biggest item to watch out for will be

what the airframer says about its plans for the

70-seat market. For several years, Mitsubishi

Gary Dawson/Shutterstock

Testing tempo has

Mitsubishi upbeat

With its MRJ90 regional jet progressing steadily towards certification and a re-think of its

smaller sibling in the works, Japan’s bid to offer a homegrown aircraft is gathering pace

TOM RISEN WASHINGTON DC

ELLIS TAYLOR PERTH

At 39,600kg, MRJ90 breaches scope

clause limit for US regional carriers