(Adds completion of flight, expert's quote, share rise,
statement)
By Tim Kelly
TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Japan's first commercial passenger
plane in half a century made its maiden flight on Wednesday, in
a breakthrough for the country's long-held ambition to establish
an aircraft industry able to challenge some of the major players
in global aviation.
The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) successfully completed a
1.5-hour return flight from Nagoya Airport to test Mitsubishi
Aircraft Corp's ability to bring the 100-seat class plane into
service after three years of delays.
The unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 7011.T , which
built the World War Two-era Zero fighter, is hoping the
$47-million regional jet will help it oust Canada's Bombardier
Inc BBDb.TO as the world's second-biggest maker of smaller
passenger jets behind Brazil's Embraer SA EMBR3.SA .
The MRJ turboprop is Japan's first commercial passenger
aircraft since the 64-seat YS-11 turboprop entered service 50
years ago.
The first MRJ is slated for delivery in June 2017 to Japan's
biggest carrier, ANA Holdings 9202.T . Mitsubishi aims
eventually to sell more than 2,000 aircraft in the competitive
70-90-seat mini-segment, currently led by Bombardier.
So far it has secured 223 firm orders, most recently in
January when Japan Airlines 9201.T asked for 32 planes. The
biggest single order, for up to 200 aircraft, was from U.S.
regional airline group SkyWest Inc SKYW.O .
The flight captured attention as delegates were leaving the
Dubai Airshow, where suppliers have been gearing up for new
entrants to the jet market such as Japan, China and Russia.
"The biggest regional airline company in the world has
ordered 100 of these with 100 options, so it clearly has some
appeal," said Bernie Baldwin, editor of Low-Fare Regional
Airlines, an expert on the short-haul jetliner market.
"For me, the thing Mitsubishi have to do now is to get a
European customer: that is important," he told Reuters.
Mitsubishi says the MRJ burns a fifth less fuel than
aircraft of similar size, thanks to new-generation engines from
Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp (N:UTX)
UTX.N . Planemakers worldwide are switching to similar engines.
The company said in a statement after the airplane landed
that the maiden sortie had confirmed its basic characteristics.
Shares in Mitsubishi Heavy Industries rose as much as 4.4
percent to a 12-week high
Japan's last attempt to establish itself as a commercial
aircraft maker ended in failure. Production of the YS-11, built
by a consortium that included Mitsubishi Heavy, finished after
only 182 planes were built.
That programme however helped Mitsubishi Heavy and other
companies forge ties with Boeing (N:BA) Co BA.N , turning them into
major suppliers and partners of the U.S. aircraft maker and
helping revive an aerospace industry that was dismantled after
World War Two.
Those Japanese companies build 35 percent of Boeing's
advanced 787 carbon-composite jetliner, including the wings, the
most complex part.
Japan's biggest carmaker, Toyota Motor Corp 7203.T , and
largest trading company, Mitsubishi Corp 8058.T , each own a 10
percent stake in the MRJ venture.