Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Nagoya Chubu) says it has delayed delivery of its first M90 by twelve months to allow for several upgrades and improvements to be made to the aircraft's design following its maiden flight last month.
As such, launch operator ANA - All Nippon Airways (NH, Tokyo Haneda) will only take delivery of its maiden aircraft of the type in mid-2018 as opposed to mid-2017 as originally anticipated.
"The first flight and the subsequent flight tests have confirmed the basic characteristics to be satisfactory. However, we also have recognized several issues as we attempt to accelerate our development," the manufacturer said.
Nobuo Kishi, senior executive vice president of Mitsubishi Aircraft, told the Nikkei Asian Review during a press conference last week that the delays pertain to the reinforcement of the wing superstructure to Japanese certification standards, the redesigning of the aircraft's wheels and landing gear for improved safety, and added testing and improvements to the aircraft's flight control system and software.
The MRJ family consists of the 90-seater MRJ90 and the smaller 70-seater MRJ70. The aircraft has thus far garnered orders for 223 MRJ90s with options for an additional 184 airframes. Tentative operators include All Nippon Airways, JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda), Eastern Air Lines (2009) (Miami International), Air Mandalay (Yangon), Trans States Holdings, and SkyWest Airlines (OO, St. George Municipal).
