The first passenger aircraft to be
made in Japan in nearly four decades was unveiled today as its manufacturer
pushed into the booming regional jet sector with an eye to taking on industry
giants Embraer and Bombardier.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a
military contractor best known for its "Zero" World War II fighter,
pulled back the curtain on its new Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), a
fuel-efficient, next-generation aircraft that claims to offer more passenger comfort
with lower operating costs.
The jet, which will be delivered to
customers from 2017 and was built with assistance from aviation giant Boeing,
was unveiled at a ceremony in Komaki, near the central city of Nagoya, today.
"The dream of a Japanese-made
product that can be proudly presented to the world for top-notch efficiency and
top-notch passenger comfort is finally coming true," said Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries chairman Hideaki Omiya.
"This wonderful aircraft that
Japan has created after (a wait of) half a century carries with it many
people's hopes and dreams."
The plane marks a new chapter for
Japan's aviation sector, which last built a commercial airliner in 1962 – the
YS-11 turboprop. It was discontinued about a decade later.
Teruaki Kawai, president and chief
operating officer of Mitsubishi Aircraft, recently said that the plane boasted
"state-of-the-art aerodynamic design, and a game-changing engine (that)
will significantly cut fuel consumption, noise and emissions, helping airlines
enhance competitiveness and profitability in the future".
Japanese firms were banned from
developing aircraft by US occupiers following its defeat in World War II.
The country slowly started
rebuilding its aviation industry in the 1950s, starting with carrying out
repair work for the US military, before expanding its scope to start licensed
production of US-developed aircraft for Japan's military. Japanese firms have
also long supplied parts to Boeing.
Mitsubishi's short-to-medium-haul
regional jet, which comes in a 70- and 90-seat version, was backed by the
Japanese government and a consortium of major firms including Toyota, with
research and development costs of around ¥180 billion (RM5.6 billion).
The company has secured 375 orders
and options from carriers including All Nippon Airways (ANA), US-based Trans
States Holdings, and SkyWest.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has also signed
a Letter of Intent for 32 MRJs, which have a list price of US$40 million (RM130
million), to be used on domestic flights.
The MRJ project got off the ground
in 2008 after ANA agreed to buy two dozen of the planes.
But it quickly hit trouble as the
global economic downturn battered the aviation industry, forcing many carriers
to slash jobs and routes.
The project took off again as Tokyo
tried to lure more overseas visitors ahead of the 2020 summer Olympic Games in
Tokyo.
The Japanese government is also
aiming to expand firms' foothold in the global aviation and military sectors as
the domestic market shrinks due to a rapidly ageing population.
The jet will compete with small
aircraft produced by Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier, as well as jets
designed by Russian and Chinese firms.
Mitsubishi pointed to expected
global demand of 5,000 regional jets over the next two decades.
"Five thousand is not a small
number," Kawai told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published this
month.
"I'm claiming we can get 50% of
that. That's what we are aiming at right now. But in 20 years, I'm saying, not
in three to five years, if our research is correct. We have to be ambitious.
"For a long time, Japan has
been successful in industries such as automobiles," he said. "It
should last, but we need to find new industries. Aircraft manufacturing can be
one of them."
Automaker Honda is also developing a
business jet, with its first delivery expected next year in North America and
Europe. – AFP, October 18, 2014.
Article taken from TheMalaysianInsider
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