MRJ first flight set for Oct. 26-Oct. 30 window

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. has narrowed the target schedule for first flight of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet(MRJ) to the last week of October.

Mitsubishi had previously said the first MRJ flight would occur in the second half of October. In a Sept. 30 statement, it specified that first flight will take place between Oct. 26 and Oct. 30. “In implementing the flight test, utmost priority will be given to safety,” Mitsubishi added. “The flight schedule is subject to change if deemed necessary due to conditions relating to the aircraft, weather, etc.”

After years of delays, the first MRJ flight test aircraft, an MRJ90, is expected fly for an hour above Nagoya Airport during its initial test flight. There will be five MRJ90s in the flight testing program, four of which will transfer to the US for flight testing after initial flights in Japan. The five aircraft are expected to accumulate a total of 2,500 flight hours.

First MRJ delivery is scheduled for the 2017 second quarter to All Nippon Airways.