Mitsubishi Aircraft has confirmed it is planning to make "several announcements" at the Paris air show next month.

However, the Japanese airframer says a media report of plans for an MRJ rebrand "do not accurately reflect our strategy, which will become clear as we make our official statements at the air show."

Nikkei Asian Review had on 29 May reported that Mitsubishi was reworking the regional-jet programme to create a smaller 70-seat aircraft, dubbed the Space Jet, which would be announced in June.

"Our focus has not changed," says Mitsubishi Aircraft. "The MRJ90 is the foundation of our company, and it remains our number-one priority. We are making steady progress towards type certification and we remain on track for first delivery in mid-2020."

Nikkei Asian Review also suggested that Mitsubishi Aircraft could switch to American suppliers for some MRJ parts, in a bid to cut costs, and was considering moving production to the USA.

FlightGlobal previously reported that the 76-seat MRJ70 would be undergoing a redesign, then known as "The Concept". Alex Bellamy, chief development officer for the MRJ programme, said on 10 May that "The Concept" would be "scope-compliant but not scope-limited", referencing US scope clauses that limit the number of seats on regional routes to 76.

Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that 213 firm orders have been placed for the MRJ90 variant.

Source: Cirium Dashboard

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