Mitsubishi Aircraft believes fuel burn performance will trump any weight gain in the minds of potential customers of its MRJ 70- to 90-seat regional jet family.
Company vice-president of marketing and sales Yosuke Takigawa admits "we hear a lot of questions about weight from airlines". The estimated weight of the standard MRJ90 is 39,600kg (87,200lb), but while he acknowledges some gain during development - "it is heavier" - he says the aircraft will offer better economics than rivals thanks to its fuel-efficient PW1000G geared turbofan engine.
Mitsubishi is telling to customers to expect a $1.4 million cost advantage per aircraft over the Embraer 190, with $1.2 million of that amount attributable to fuel efficiency. Takigawa says: "In the end the main driver for the bottom line is efficiency, not just weight."
Still, he is aware that competitors such as Embraer prefer to focus on the MRJ's weight: "That right now is the only point they see to attack."
Mitsubishi's efforts to allay customer concerns about weight have done little to generate new orders, with home carrier All Nippon Airways as the only customer to date, having bought 15 MRJ90s in March 2008. But Takigawa remains confident and says Mitsubishi is moving closer to finalising deals with a handful of customers.
As Pratt & Whitney prepares to firm up final PW1000G design, Takigawa says data so far from testing shows no wear and tear on the engine's gearbox, and potential MRJ customers do not seem worried over geared turbofan maintenance: "The Pratt & Whitney gearbox is not causing any concern. They've have proven that."
Flight testing of the MRJ is scheduled to begin in 2011 ahead of a targeted 2013 entry into service date.
Source: Flight International
