Mitsubishi plans MRJ debut at Paris air show

TIN news:  Mitsubishi Aircraft is working to bring one of its MRJ regional jet prototypes to the Paris air show.

"We are making preparations at the moment, assuming that we are able to bring the aircraft, we want to bring it to the Paris air show," its new president Hisakazu Mizutani tells FlightGlobal in an interview at the manufacturer's headquarters in Nagoya.

The Japanese manufacturer will watch the performance of the four flight test aircraft at its Moses Lake flight test centre closely, and decide on which jet to bring, depending on airframe conditions.

"We had to delay the MRJ's delivery schedule, but on the other hand the aircraft are successfully doing flight tests in America. I think it would give a lot of confidence to people around the world if we are able to bring the MRJ to the Paris air show," says Mizutani.

"We want to show that despite the delay, the aircraft is flying safely as it should."

The manufacturer will likely showcase the aircraft together with its launch customer All Nippon Airways.

Mitsubishi in January announced a two-year delay to its 88-seat MRJ90 to mid-2020, due to the need to relocate components in the aircraft's avionics bay and to reroute electrical wiring harnesses. This design change is due to the need to show compliance with certification standards, and the changes bring the manufacturer back to preliminary design work.