Eastern Air Lines Group, a Miami-based startup, has ordered 20 MRJ90s with 20 options. The firm order follows a memorandum of understanding placed at the Farnborough Airshow in July. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2019.
Eastern Air Lines Group president and CEO Edward Wegel said the aircraft will "proudly join Eastern's fleet starting in 2019 and will be christened the Eastern Whisperjet."
Mitsubishi Aircraft president and COO Teruaki Kawai said the MRJ program has been making "steady progress, and its state-of-the-art aerodynamic design and a game-changing engine will significantly cut fuel consumption, noise and emissions, helping airlines enhance competiveness and profitability in the future. We expect that the economics, comfort, and other advanced features of the MRJ, the next generation regional jet, will contribute significantly to the growth of Eastern Air Lines."
MRJ plans to roll out the first completed MRJ Oct. 18. The company last year postponed the MRJ's first flight to the second quarter of 2015. First delivery is being targeted for the second quarter of 2017. Flight testing is expected to take place in both Japan and the US.