ANA Order Launches Mitsubishi RJ

Japan’s All Nippon Airways today placed a launch order for 15 Mitsubishi Regional Jets. The order, which accompanies options for another 10 airplanes, follows a month and a half of deliberations by ANA’s new aircraft selection committee, which reported its findings to the ANA board. According to the airline, it based its decision on safety, overall economy, operational and environmental performance and passenger comfort.

Scheduled for certification in 2012, the largely composite MRJ would carry between 70 and 90 seats and would become the first application for Pratt & Whitney’s new fuel-efficient geared turbofan engine. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has looked for an opportunity to develop a commercial airplane since 1973, when production ended for the YS-11–Japan’s first homebuilt aircraft after World War II.