Mitsubishi SpaceJet Delivery Could be Delayed by a Year

Mitsubishi Spacejet, the small passenger airliner from Japan could delay delivery of its first aircraft to All Nippon Airways by more than a year.

An announcement to this effect is expected on February 6 when Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) reports its latest earnings, Japanese publication Mainichi said quoting sources. The delay is due to more time being taken to obtain safety certification from the Japanese transport ministry.

"First JA26MJ engine run complete! The engine is undergoing ground testing in Japan's Nagoyacity, and is getting ready to join the fleet in the US for type certification tests. Thank you to everyone working hard to prepare for first flight," the company posted on its Twitter account on January 15.

In October last year, MHI reported the cancellation of up to 100 aircraft order of the Spacejet 90 by Trans States Holdings, Inc. (TSH), a US regional jet operator.

Deliveries of Japan's first homegrown passenger jet was initially planned for 2013. Changes in design, review of the manufacturing process and a delay in parts delivery pushed the delivery date by several years.

"The development cost for the passenger jet has risen to 800 billion yen ($7 billion) from the initial estimate of 600 billion yen ($5.5 billion)," other sources said earlier.