The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) has once again been delayed, with its service entry having been pushed back by another two years. Type certification for the new regional jet is now targeted for the end of 2019 and service entry in mid-2020. A Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation statement said: "The change is due to revisions of certain systems and electrical configurations on the aircraft to meet the latest requirements for certification." The project to produce Japan's first indigenously-developed commercial aircraft for 40 years was launched in March 2008. The original plan was for the MRJ to fly in 2010 but the development schedule has repeatedly slipped, with the first MRJ flight test aircraft only making its first flight in November 2015. The revised schedule means the MRJ will now enter service seven years later than the original plan for it to begin flying with airlines in 2013. Three MRJ test aircraft are now based at Grant County International Airport in Washington, where they are operated from the Moses Lake Flight Test Centre, purpose-built for the MRJ testing effort.
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