25-Plane Deal Spurs Spinoff Company To Advertise, Build
Plane
It's official -- there's a new player in the increasingly
crowded regional jet game. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries officially
launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) Friday, with a 25-plane
order (10 firm, 15 options) from Japan's All Nippon Airlines.
Beginning April 1, the tentatively-named Mitsubishi Aircraft
Corporation, a new company established by MHI to conduct MRJ
business, will accelerate the MRJ's development and further
strengthen sales activities to potential customers worldwide.
As Japan's first company to manufacture and market original
passenger jetliners, Mitsubishi Aircraft will fulfill a
long-desired goal of the Japanese aircraft industry.
The company will be responsible for various key activities in the
MRJ project, including the jetliner's design, acquisition of type
certification (T/C), procurement, sales and customer support. MHI's
Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works will manufacture both the prototype
aircraft and production models; it will also be in charge of the
MRJ's flight testing.
Mitsubishi Aircraft was established
as a wholly-owned subsidiary of MHI capitalized at 3 billion yen,
with plans calling for an increase up to 100 billion yen in line
with business operations development. MHI plans to furnish roughly
two-thirds of the requisite capital, and to secure the remaining
equity investment it has approached companies including Toyota Motor Corporation,
Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Sumitomo
Corporation and the Development Bank of Japan.
Mitsubishi Aircraft, headquartered in Nagoya, is to start with
approximately 200 employees. Nobuo Toda, Director and Senior Vice
President at MHI, has been named its first president.
As ANN has reported, the MRJ
is a 70-90 seat class regional jet that will be the first regional
jet to adopt composite materials for its wings and vertical fins on
significant scale. In combination with new Pratt & Whitney
engines and an advanced aerodynamic design, the aircraft is being
planned to reduce fuel consumption substantially and to contribute
greatly to enhanced competitiveness and lower operating costs for
the airline companies.
Since deciding on authorization to offer the MRJ in October
2007, MHI has been conducting full-scale marketing activities
worldwide. The company says response has been favorable to date,
and more orders following ANA's are expected.