Mitsubishi has reportedly closed its U.S. offices and has grounded its fleet of test MRJ/SpaceJet airliners.
It is unclear if this is temporary, or if the company is just throwing in the towel. The challenge is for the company to break into a global market that already has filled competitors order books. While potentially a fine airliner, the now-renamed M90 does not represent any real performance breakthroughs – particularly since the new market entry date is three years away.
Mitsubishi has acquired the global support network for the CRJ series from Bombardier. In light of the M90 situation, there has been some speculation that this could be an acquisition target for China’s COMAC, to support sales of its C919 and ARJ-21 airliners.
Not in the cards – COMAC’s products are not market ready or market-compatible.
But stay tuned, particularly since Embraer’s airliner business is still independent and very viable, following the collapse of the Boeing acquisition. Lots of potential variations are in the cards.