Japan has abandoned plans to build its first domestic passenger jet after years of technical setbacks and soaring costs.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has said it is going to cancel the public-private SpaceJet project, a decade after the aircraft was supposed to have gone into commercial service.
The regional jet, which suffered repeated delivery delays and technical glitches, failed to confirm sufficient business viability, according to the company. The twin-engine plane, designed to carry fewer than 100 passengers, was supposed to open a new chapter in Japan's aviation sector.
The project, which was launched in 2008 under the name Mitsubishi Regional Jet, suffered repeated setbacks and missed its 2013 rollout. It was put on hold in October 2020 after more glitches and a fall in demand for new aircraft during the coronaviruses epidemic.
Some test flights were aborted because of air conditioning defects and other software problems, and the delays required revisions to the original design.
The firm's president, Seiji Izumisawa, admitted that Mitsubishi Heavy lacked the know-how to develop passenger jets. He told reporters that they were not sure of its business viability.
The company said in a statement that it had been difficult to get the necessary understanding and necessary cooperation from global partners, adding that further extensive funding was needed to get the design approved.
The demise of the project was due to North American regulations, pilot shortages and the need to find decarbonisation solutions. The decision would not have a significant impact on the company's financial results.
The SpaceJet, which was renamed SpaceJet in 2019, was supported by the Japanese government and domestic firms, including Toyota. It had attracted about 450 orders, including those from Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, but many were cancelled.
Some experts said that Mitsubishi Heavy had been too confident in its ability to build a passenger jet, having made fighter planes during the Second World War.