Friday, October 2, 2009

Mitsubishi Aircraft Wins U.S. Order

A Mitsubishi Heavy Industries unit said Friday that it had won an order for up to 100 regional jets from a US airline, breathing life into Japan's nascent aircraft industry.

Trans States Holdings, America's second-biggest independent regional carrier, placed an order for up to 100 jets with Mitsubishi Aircraft, becoming its second customer following All Nippon Airways (ANA) and its first client overseas.

The order provides a tailwind for Mitsubishi Heavy, which is chasing Canada's Bombardier and Brazil's Embraer.

The firm aims to sell 1,000 of its jets over the next 20 to 30 years, but has so far only won one order from ANA for up to 25 of its 70- to 90- seat planes, which analysts have estimated to be priced at JPY3 billion yen to JPY4 billion (USD$33 million - USD$45 million) each.

Trans States Holdings comprises Trans States Airlines, which operates as US Airways Express, and GoJet Airlines, which operates as United Express.

Trans State Airlines has a 48-plane fleet of 50-seat Embraer ERJ145 jets. GoJet's 15-plane fleet consists of 66-seat Bombardier CRJ700 planes. Together, they operate 350 flights a day between 50 cities.

Mitsubishi Heavy said last month that it would delay delivery of its first passenger jet by three months to the first quarter of calendar 2014 as it switches to aluminum wings instead of carbon fiber for better fuel efficiency.

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(Reuters - Airwise News)

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