Today Mitsubishi
Aircraft announced that the MRJ will not fly this year, but until the end
of 2014 - a full one year delay (again).
This is of course disappointing. According to the article Mitsubishi still has
problems how to document the design and the production of the parts to be compliant
with certification rules (this is my interpretation, based on what was the
reason for the last delay). At least, it seems, there seems nothing wrong with
the design of the aircraft itself.
The same can be said for the CSeries – hopefully! It seems
that the integration of the software takes more time than planned. The question
is why until now the Bombardier executives always build up pressure by
announcing exactly when first flight will happen. Airbus with the A350 was
smarter by only saying first flight would happen in the second half of 2013 and
the surprising the aviation world by beating that target by two weeks. At least
Bombardier has learned now by being vague. On the other side that does not
build up confidence, especially because fixed dates were given three times
before (end of 2012, end of June 2013, in July 2013). So everyone who waits for
this first all-new narrowbody since the A320 first flew in 26 years ago in 1987
should hope that “in the coming weeks” does mean in the “next low single digit number
of weeks”.
