Mitsubishi Aircraft delays jet delivery by around one year

TOKYO (Reuters) - Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd <7011.T>, said on Thursday it would delay the first delivery of its regional jet by around one year from the original plan. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) was slated for delivery in the April-June quarter of 2017 to Japan's biggest carrier, ANA Holdings Inc <9202.T>. The delay comes after Mitsubishi Aircraft decided the aircraft needs to undergo more testing, the company said. The $47 million, 100 seat MRJ, which made its maiden test flight last month, represents Japan's long-held ambition to reestablish a commercial aircraft industry that was dismantled by the United States after Japan's defeat in World War Two. The MRJ has secured 223 firm orders, most recently in January when Japan Airlines asked for 32 planes. The biggest single order, for up to 200 aircraft, was from U.S. regional airline group SkyWest Inc. (Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Miral Fahmy)