The revised production strategy indicates that Mitsubishi Aircraft expects more sales, and the backlog will be increased considerably when U.S. regional SkyWest firms an agreement in principle for 100 MRJs announced in July at the Farnborough air show. That order is expected at the end of the year.
According to Takaseki, the SkyWest deal has increased interest in the MRJ program, even from North American mainline carriers.
[Editor’s note: This version corrects details about the completion of the detailed design work.]