New Delay for Japan’s First Jet Raises Concerns About Sales
- Mitsubishi Regional Jet’s first delivery delayed a fifth time
- Launch customer ANA says ‘disappointed’ but will support MRJ
Why Japan's First Jet Is Delayed Again
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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. announced a fifth delay in handing over Japan’s first locally made passenger jet to airlines and about a 30 percent jump in development costs, raising concerns about winning new orders for the single-aisle plane.
Launch customer ANA Holdings Inc. will get the aircraft in 2020, two years later than the current estimate, Mitsubishi said in Tokyo on Monday. St. George, Utah-based SkyWest Inc. is the plane’s biggest customer. Revision of some electrical configuration to meet certification requirements prompted the latest pushback of the deadline.