Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the firm behind the new SpaceJet, has confirmed it will be halting development on the new aircraft for the foreseeable future.
The first Japanese passenger aircraft for many decades has been beset with production hiccups and delays for a number of years. The current economic situation resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the entire aviation industry into a state of flux and consolidation. This has led Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to say it would freeze development of the regional SpaceJet programme in order for it to concentrate on other parts of its business operations.
According to Mitsubishi, the suspension of the SpaceJet should help lowers its costs by around 120billion yen - around £900million.
There is much speculation around the aviation industry that this latest suspension of the programme marks the death knell of the whole SpaceJet project, despite the Japanese governments support for the aircraft. The market for the regional jets seems to be diminishing by the day and it is far more likely that Mitsubishi will transfer its attention to the creation of an advanced fighter jet required to combat the recent additions to the Chinese forces that the Japanese government wants to be operational early in the 2030s.
Recommended for you...
