Mitsubishi launches SpaceJet, renaming its MRJ 90 program

Mitsubishi has launched its SpaceJet family of aircraft, including the SpaceJet M90 - renaming its MRJ 90 program. 

The SpaceJet M100 will be a new standard in regional air travel, the company says - designed to address demand in the underserved regional jet market by delivering comfort for passengers and unmatched aircraft performance with more profit potential for airlines, the company added.

“The Mitsubishi SpaceJet family represents our plan to redefine the business of regional air travel,” said Hisakazu Mizutani, president, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. “This is a commercial segment where we see great opportunity. As we prepare for entry-into-service for the SpaceJet M90, we are also announcing the SpaceJet M100 – the result of our research and development during the past few years and the answer to the regional market’s current and future needs. These products mark our dedication to a segment in desperate need of change that will allow airlines to enhance the satisfaction of their passengers and significantly improve their business performance.”

Having evolved from a concept study for the now retired MRJ70 designation, the SpaceJet M100 is designed to adapt to specific market needs while maintaining strength of performance, the company said in a statement. 

The SpaceJet M90 will be delivered to the marketplace in 2020, with the company working closely with governmental partners to establish a certification system for Japan and has begun type certification flight testing in Moses Lake, Washington, U.S. with both the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

In preparation for the future, the company opened a new US headquarters in Renton, Washington, last month.

“The regional market is an attractive one, full of untapped growth potential,” said Alex Bellamy, chief development officer, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. “Millions of people around the world rely on regional air travel to get to where they need to go.

"There is no reason that their experience as passengers should not be as good as or better than on a mainline flight. The SpaceJet family provides the missing link in a curb-to-curb experience for the next generation of travellers, while bringing a higher level of value to a neglected and undervalued market segment.”