Mitsubishi to terminate SpaceJet development, Japanese media reports

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd has internally decided to terminate the development of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet aircraft, Japanese media reported on Monday.

Mitsubishi had suspended development of the aircraft, formerly called Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), in 2020 after a series of delays.

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The announcement will be made as early as Tuesday, the Nikkei business daily reported.

A spokesman for Mitsubishi Heavy told Reuters that no decision had been made at this time on whether to cease the SpaceJet project.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with Japanese government encouragement, started the SpaceJet program in a bid to establish itself as a global commercial planemaker.

The development, however, was plagued by technical problems that forced it to delay its first delivery to ANA six times.