Mitsubishi Aircraft is to delay the first delivery of the MRJ regional airliner by around a year, to mid-2018. Initial delivery of the aircraft had been scheduled for the second quarter of 2017. But the airframer recently disclosed that it was reviewing the entire development plan following the commencement of flight-testing. Mitsubishi has revealed that it will amend the schedule, shifting...
Honda Aircraft has announced starting deliveries of the HondaJet to customers two weeks after obtaining airworthiness certification. The initial deliveries to an undisclosed set of customers allow the North Carolina-based manufacturer to meet its goal of handing over aircraft by end-year. “I hope we soon will begin to see many HondaJets at airports around the world,” says Honda A...
Mitsubishi Aircraft is reviewing the development schedule for the MRJ regional jet, following the commencement of flight-testing. The airframer says the “entire schedule” from testing to initial delivery is being examined, in co-operation with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Mitsubishi has not specifically stated whether this review is an indicator of possible further delays to...
The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) has taken delivery of its final Airbus Helicopters H135 training helicopters. The 14th and 15th examples of the type were recently handed over, says Airbus Helicopters in a statement. Deliveries of the H135, designated TH135 in JMSDF service, commenced in 2011. Airbus adds that there are over 80 H135s operating in Japan. Roles includ...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industry has started work on the first Lockheed Martin F-35A to be assembled in Japan. The work took place at a Mitsubishi factory in Nagoya, and saw the mating of the aircraft’s wings, fuselage, and tail, says Lockheed in a statement. The aircraft is designated AX-5, and will be the fifth F-35A produced for the Japanese air force. Japan’s first four aircraft, de...
V Air, a Taiwan-based LCC, enters the Japan market by launching its first Taipei-Nagoya service tonight. The inaugural flight ZV202 departed from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 19:45, carrying 162 passengers, with an 85% load factor. The estimated arrival time is 23:45 local time. Taipei-Nagoya route is the 4th scheduled service of V Air, marking a new milestone on the carrier’...
Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways will consider expanding to other destinations like Melbourne and Perth in the future after launching its first flights between Tokyo and Sydney since the 1990s on Saturday, says Kenya Inada, ANA general manager Asia and Oceania. "We want to see very good success in the [daily Tokyo] Haneda-Sydney route first, then we will look at other options later...
Japan's revised civil aviation law that regulates the use of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles came into effect on Thursday. The new regulations require operators to get government approval to fly such aircraft in areas designated as densely populated, at events, and near airports, public broadcaster NHK reported. Permission is also required for flying out of the operator's s...
The HondaJet received type certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday. Honda Aircraft Company and the FAA made the announcement today at the Honda Aircraft headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. The FAA presented the type certificate to Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino in front of more than 2,000 people, including FAA Admi...
Japan Airlines Co. plans to replace all aircraft flown by domestic subsidiary J-Air Corp. with the new fuel-efficient Mitsubishi Regional Jet. Chairman Masaru Onishi explained the move in a recent interview with Kyodo News, saying the swap-out could be complete just over a decade from now. J-Air primarily serves routes linking Osaka and Sapporo with smaller Japanese cities. It operates...
Twelve years after the Honda Motor Co. announced the first flight of its experimental compact business jet, the HondaJet, the since formed Honda Aircraft is on the cusp of certification and entry-into-service of the first of what is anticipated will be a family of HondaJet aircraft. Honda announced the first flight of the experimental HondaJet on Dec. 13, 2003. The prototype aircraft flew...
Japan Airlines resumes flying Monday from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Tokyo's Narita International Airport for the first time in more than 14 years. The Japanese carrier initially will operate four flights a week but has said it might expand to daily service in the spring. It will fly a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet -- which has 161 seats and first-class, premium econ...
