<p> Japan's first passenger jet made its maiden test flight today, a landmark in a decade-long programme to launch the plane aimed at competing with Brazilian and Canadian rivals in the global market for smaller aircraft.<br /><br /></p>.<p>About half a century after the last Japanese-made commercial plane took to the skies, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), painted with dark blue, red and beige stripes, took off from Nagoya airport under clear skies for a 90-minute trip.<br /><br />After being barred from developing aircraft following World War II, Japan - and its MRJ jet - is competing with other regional passenger jet manufacturers such as Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier.<br /><br />Hiromichi Morimoto, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp - a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - voiced his delight and relief at the successful flight.<br /><br />"We were able to see the beautiful fuselage of the MRJ taking off into the sunny autumn sky," he told a press conference.<br /><br />"The fact that I was able to see that with you, as someone who was involved in its development, there is no greater joy."<br />Its pilot also praised the jet.<br /><br />"The operation performance of the MRJ was far better than expected," Yoshiyuki Yasumura said, according to a Mitsubishi Aircraft release.<br />"We had a significantly comfortable flight."<br /><br />The two-engine MRJ marks a new chapter for Japan's aviation sector, which last built a commercial airliner in 1962 - the YS-11 turboprop that was discontinued about a decade later.<br /><br />The MRJ is approximately 35-metres long, has a pointed nose and will seat about 80 passengers.<br /><br />Mitsubishi Aircraft boasts that the fuel-efficient MRJ will offer more passenger comfort with lower operating costs, eyeing the booming regional jet sector.<br /><br />China is also developing a similar-sized homegrown regional passenger jet, the ARJ21. It had its first test flight in 2008 and the initial commercial delivery is reportedly expected by the end of the year.<br /><br />Mitsubishi Heavy would not disclose how much of the aircraft consists of Japanese components, but it is powered by two next-generation engines developed by Pratt & Whitney of the United States.<br /><br />The company said the US parts are key and have helped it slash operating costs by about 20 per cent.<br /><br />The maiden flight by the Japanese passenger jet stirred excitement at home.<br />"We very much welcome the success of the first flight as it is a new beginning for the Japanese aircraft industry," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.</p>
<p> Japan's first passenger jet made its maiden test flight today, a landmark in a decade-long programme to launch the plane aimed at competing with Brazilian and Canadian rivals in the global market for smaller aircraft.<br /><br /></p>.<p>About half a century after the last Japanese-made commercial plane took to the skies, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), painted with dark blue, red and beige stripes, took off from Nagoya airport under clear skies for a 90-minute trip.<br /><br />After being barred from developing aircraft following World War II, Japan - and its MRJ jet - is competing with other regional passenger jet manufacturers such as Brazil's Embraer and Canada's Bombardier.<br /><br />Hiromichi Morimoto, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp - a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries - voiced his delight and relief at the successful flight.<br /><br />"We were able to see the beautiful fuselage of the MRJ taking off into the sunny autumn sky," he told a press conference.<br /><br />"The fact that I was able to see that with you, as someone who was involved in its development, there is no greater joy."<br />Its pilot also praised the jet.<br /><br />"The operation performance of the MRJ was far better than expected," Yoshiyuki Yasumura said, according to a Mitsubishi Aircraft release.<br />"We had a significantly comfortable flight."<br /><br />The two-engine MRJ marks a new chapter for Japan's aviation sector, which last built a commercial airliner in 1962 - the YS-11 turboprop that was discontinued about a decade later.<br /><br />The MRJ is approximately 35-metres long, has a pointed nose and will seat about 80 passengers.<br /><br />Mitsubishi Aircraft boasts that the fuel-efficient MRJ will offer more passenger comfort with lower operating costs, eyeing the booming regional jet sector.<br /><br />China is also developing a similar-sized homegrown regional passenger jet, the ARJ21. It had its first test flight in 2008 and the initial commercial delivery is reportedly expected by the end of the year.<br /><br />Mitsubishi Heavy would not disclose how much of the aircraft consists of Japanese components, but it is powered by two next-generation engines developed by Pratt & Whitney of the United States.<br /><br />The company said the US parts are key and have helped it slash operating costs by about 20 per cent.<br /><br />The maiden flight by the Japanese passenger jet stirred excitement at home.<br />"We very much welcome the success of the first flight as it is a new beginning for the Japanese aircraft industry," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters.</p>