Japan's 1st domestically-produced passenger jet in 50-years completes maiden flight

Japan's first domestically-made commercial jet in half a century took to the skies for its maiden flight Wednesday, marking a major step forward for Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. whose Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) has faced a series of technical delays leading up to it completing its maiden voyage today.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., having made a successful take-off run over the weekend, but not leaving the tarmac, successfully concluded its maiden voyage from Nagoya airport in central Japan on Wednesday, officials from Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. confirmed Wednesday.

Wednesday's flight and the project overcoming its production issues could herald a new era of domestic production of the regional jet, the first of its kind since the 60-seat, YS-11 turboprop entered service 50-years ago.

Mitsubishi's new regional jet, featuring a sleek, narrow 35-meter-long body, twin engines and between 70 and 90 seats for passengers, is also 20 percent more fuel efficient than other jets in its own class as well as smaller classes, making it an attractive proposition for some major global carriers.

With a range of just under 4,000 kilometers, meaning the jet can comfortably fly between Japan and regions in China, for instance, the MRJ has already received fixed orders for more than 400 jets from both carriers here and overseas, including All Nippon Airways Co. whose deliveries of the jet will arrive in 2017, Japan Airlines, and from Trans State Holdings, a company that operates three regional U.S. airlines including Compass Airlines, GoJet Airlines and Trans States Airlines.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is eyeing its MRJ superseding its current competition and second-global leader of producing small passenger jets, Bombardier. The MRJ may also be pitched as going head-to-head with Embraer, who currently dominate this section of the aviation market.

With Mitsubishi overcoming production issues that delayed planned flights in May and October, including the reworking of the MRJ's cockpit pedals, a senior spokesperson for the jet is confident the MRJ's long-term prospects are excellent.

According to Yugo Fukuhara, "Japanese reliability and quality will deliver success," with the vice-president and general manager of sales and marketing for the firm adding that the MRJ being compared to the Embraer's E190 is not an issue, as the MRJ boasts wider, more comfortable seats, is 20 percent more fuel efficient and produces far less airport noise -- with the latter being essential for operating from domestic airports.

But while Fukuhara conceded that the plane's cost is not overly cheap, he trumpeted the virtue of the MRJ's comparatively low running costs, owing to its use of newly-designed Pratt & Whitney engines and its ultra-aerodynamic design.

Fukuhara said that a substantial amount of capital has been injected into the project and the costs will have to be offset over time, but added, "We're planning for a very long participation in this market."

But the MRJ project has also been underwritten by some major players in Japan, making it something of a national enterprise, with more than 200 billion yen (1.62 billion U.S. dollars) being invested by Toyota, Sumitomo, Mitsui and other Mitsubishi-related subsidiaries.

In addition, the government's Development Bank of Japan has pumped 100 billion yen into the enterprise and the MRJ will receive preferential export financing. Enditem