Mitsubishi Heavy Industries cancelled its SpaceJet program last week.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has called time on its SpaceJet regional aircraft project almost three years after pausing development of the M90 Spacejet.
At the time in 2020, it said it planned to step up its MRO activities in the wake its decision to pause almost all development of the M90.
In June that year it had acquired the maintenance, support, refurbishment, marketing and sales activities for the CRJ series, plus their type certificates, from Canada’s Bombardier. The sale included Bombardier’s CRJ services and support network.
The decision to pause M90 development was due in part to the pandemic, but also due to problems accessing the US market due to scope clause restrictions – a challenge that has not been solved in the intervening period.
MHI also said that partial revisions to the M90’s design would have been needed given its prolonged development, while also noting that new regional aircraft projects need to incorporate “decarbonization solutions”.
The company also admitted that it had “insufficient initial understanding of the highly complex type certification process for commercial aircraft”.
Going forward, it said it would continue its OEM business via the CRJ program. Whether this includes a once-mooted CRJ upgrade remains to be seen, almost $10 billion investment later,
MHI appears too bruised by its SpaceJet ordeal to embark on another major commercial aircraft project soon. Furthermore, the CRJ program was mainly acquired in order to tap into a ready-made support network, which, it was hoped, would help with SpaceJet sales.
MHI said it would “continue contributing” to the Japanese aviation industry, which “aspires” to return OEM aircraft manufacture to the country.
Related Content
