Flight Daily News

The entry of Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi into the increasingly crowded regional jet sector is on track, the manufacturer claimed at the show yesterday.

Hideo Toda, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, says the company will freeze the design of its MRJ family of 70-96-seater airliners in autumn 2009. First deliveries to launch customer All Nippon Airways of the larger MRJ90 version of the aircraft will begin in 2013.

The breakeven target for the aircraft programme is from 300 to 500 units, says Toda, who also revealed that the family of aircraft has the potential to be stretched to 115 seats. The list price of the MRJ90 is $38 million, says Yosuke Takigawa, Mitsubishi senior vice president of sales.

However, despite reports earlier this year that the company was talking to Toyota about investing in the MRJ programme, Toda says it has enough industrial partners. “We don’t think other partners should be needed at this point,” he says.

Its current partners include Pratt & Whitney, which is supplying its PW1000G GTF engine for the aircraft, and Rockwell Collins, which is developing the avionics system.