Mitsubishi Aircraft’s official launch of the proposed 100-seat MRJ100X will likely have to wait at least another year, or until after the first flight of the 88-seat MRJ90 in mid-2012, as the company waits for the European airline market to show more tangible signs of recovery. Speaking from his office in Tokyo with AIN last week, Mitsubishi Aircraft head of sales and marketing Hank Iwasa referred to the deliberations as “tough,” given the level of investment required to develop a third variant and the still “rather slow” European economy.
Europe stands as perhaps the most strategically important market for the 100X, said Iwasa, given the size of the regional airline sector there and its loose scope-clause restrictions compared to those in North America. Recognizing the importance of Europe in general, Mitsubishi in May opened a sales office in Amsterdam, staffed by four salespeople tasked with helping Iwasa find a regional launch customer on the continent. So far the MRJ has drawn firm orders for 50 aircraft from U.S. regional Trans States Airlines and another for 15 from launch customer ANA of Japan.
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