Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	April 1, 2008; 18 years ago
Defunct	February 6, 2023
Fate	Dissolved; rebranded as MSJ Asset Management Company
Headquarters	Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Teruaki Kawai (CEO)
Products	Mitsubishi SpaceJet (MRJ)
Owner	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (64%), Toyota Motor Corporation (10%), Mitsubishi Corporation (10%), Development Bank of Japan, Sumitomo Corporation, Mitsui & Co.
Parent	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

, known as MITAC, was a Japanese enterprise responsible for the development, production, sales, and support of the Mitsubishi SpaceJet (previously MRJ) passenger airliner series. The manufacturing of these aircraft was intended to be managed by its parent organization, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). In February 2023, MHI decided to discontinue the SpaceJet initiative.

History

Founded on 1 April 2008, MITAC's ownership structure included a 64% stake held by MHI, with Toyota Motor Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation each owning 10%. Additional investors were the government-backed Development Bank of Japan, along with Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsui & Co..

The company’s main office was situated at Nagoya Airfield in Komaki, within Aichi Prefecture, adjacent to the MRJ production site. Branch offices operated in Nagoya and Tokyo, sharing locations with MHI facilities, while international subsidiaries were established in Amsterdam and Renton, Washington.

CEO Teruaki Kawai emphasized that MITAC would not pursue manufacturing aircraft larger than the MRJ model, citing MHI’s significant role as a supplier to Boeing—notably providing wings for the Boeing 787—and its limited ability to compete directly with dominant manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing.

After Bombardier Aviation exited its involvement with the CSeries and Dash 8 programs, MHI announced on 25 June 2019 its plan to acquire Bombardier’s CRJ program. The transaction was anticipated to conclude in early 2020, subject to regulatory approval. This strategic acquisition added Bombardier’s proficiency in engineering, certification, customer service, and support to enhance the SpaceJet project and potentially facilitate production within North America.

Included in the agreement were two service centers located in Canada and two in the United States, along with ownership of the CRJ type certificates. Bombardier retained its assembly operations at Mirabel, near Montreal, continuing CRJ manufacturing until all outstanding orders were completed.

In September 2019, MITAC inaugurated the "SpaceJet Montreal Centre" in Boisbriand, employing approximately 100 personnel dedicated to certification and entry-into-service tasks for the SpaceJet M90. Flight testing activities took place at Moses Lake, Washington, conducted by AeroTEC until May 2020 when they were suspended due to budget constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the future of these tests uncertain.

On 6 February 2023, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries officially ended the SpaceJet program along with all related jetliner business plans and announced the dissolution of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. By April 25, 2023, the entity was rebranded as MSJ Asset Management Company as part of the liquidation process; concurrently, its website was deactivated.

Products

Mitsubishi SpaceJet (MRJ)

External links