MRJ Maiden Flight Likely Postponed to Summer

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is considering postponing the maiden flight of its newly developed small passenger aircraft, dubbed the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, from the previously scheduled late May to June at the earliest, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

It will be the fourth postponement of the first flight by the first-ever Japanese-built small passenger jet. Mitsubishi Aircraft had initially said that it expected the maiden flight to take place between April and June.

The company, based in Aichi prefecture, then set a date of late May, ahead of a leading aerospace trade show in Paris in mid-June, hoping to boost the number of orders