The Japanese firm's subsidiary
The new passenger jet, if successfully launched, would be the first commercial aircraft manufactured in
Mitsubishi Heavy is expected to announce the decision on
Delivery of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet has been delayed six times so far despite around
The SpaceJet is designed to carry around 90 passengers with what the company calls "game-changing" fuel efficiency. Mitsubishi Heavy will likely continue aiming for a type certificate for the jet, the sources said.
In the business year through last March, Mitsubishi Heavy posted an operating loss for the first time in two decades due to ballooning SpaceJet development costs.
In May, President
Mitsubishi Heavy is likely to decide what to do with the regional jet development while assessing the demand for flights.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, many airline companies had shifted their focus to smaller aircraft due to their fuel efficiency amid rising awareness of climate change.
But airlines are now struggling as the pandemic has led many countries to impose travel restrictions.
Mitsubishi Heavy, a manufacturer of fighter jets and rockets, launched the regional jet project in 2008 and the maiden flight took place in
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source