News
Mitsubishi to lose major MRJ order?
December 15th 2017
Following years of delays, Mitsubishi Aircraft may lose almost 10% of the MRJ programme’s backlog if a report in the Nikkei Asian Review that suggested U.S. carrier, Swift Air, may cancel its order for up to 40 MRJ-90s turns out to be true. Read More »
The deal for 20 firm orders, plus 20 options, for the MRJ-90 was originally placed by Floridian charter specialist, Eastern Air Lines, in 2014. Eastern Air Lines has been acquired by Phoenix-based Swift Air this year and Swift has since decided to expand its Boeing fleet.
“Maintaining the orders will be difficult,” a source close to the deal told the Nikkei. Mitsubishi has received 477 commitments for the MRJ, although only 243 are firm orders. Losing a customer for 40 jets could reduce the backlog by 10%. The largest customer for the MRJ-90 is Salt Lake City-based SkyWest Airlines. The commuter carrier has 100 of the type on firm order and 100 options.
Other orders include 100 for U.S. firm Trans States Holdings, 25 from launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) and 10 from Air Mandalay. ANA was originally scheduled to take delivery of the first MRJ in 2013. This has now been pushed back to 2020, with further delays highly possible.
