Days of MRJ regional jet delays are over, manufacturer says

By Victoria Bryan<br> <br> <br> <br> FARNBOROUGH, England, July 18 (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation says the days of delays to its MRJ regional jet are behind it, with flight displays at the Farnborough Airshow marking a turning point for the plane.<br> <br> <br> <br> The aircraft, Japan's first passenger plane since the 1960s, was back in the air on Wednesday after management kept it on the ground the previous day following a prang with a tow vehicle.<br> <br> <br> <br> The programme has been delayed by several years, with first customer ANA now expecting the 90 -seater plane - http://www.healthncure.net/?s=-seater%20plane in 2020, rather than 2013 as originally envisaged, and there are concerns the delays have hampered the jet's prospects.<br> <br> <br> <br> "This is the turning point, demonstrating our aircraft," chief development officer Alex Bellamy told Reuters.<br> <br> <br> <br> He didn't expect new orders at the air show, but is using the opportunity to show the jet to prospective customers.<br> <br> <br> <br> Asked about the delays, Bellamy said that with over 2,000 hours of flight testing behind it, any major problems should now have been found.<br> <br> <br> <br> "Our focus today is on keeping the schedule. The schedule we set a year ago, we're still meeting that today. Those days (of delays) are behind us."<br> <br> <br> <br> Bellamy said that amid consolidation in the aerospace market, Promo Mobil Mitsibishi Pajero Sport Xpander Outlander - https://mitsubishipromo.id/ the MRJ provided competition.<br> <br> <br> <br> "As we see consolidation in general in the marketplace, we bring much needed choice," he said.<br> <br> <br> <br> The project is backed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), which already makes aircraft components, such as wing boxes, for the Boeing 787.<br> <br> <br> <br> Daniel Lochmann, global marketing communications director - http://www.bing.com/search?q=director&form=MSNNWS&mkt=en-us&pq=director at MHI, said that making a whole new jet helped it improve manufacturing processes.<br> <br> <br> <br> "This isn't a dogfight between Mitsubishi, Boeing and Airbus. This enables us to become a better partner to Boeing." (Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Mark Potter)<br> <br> <br> <br> Advertisement