Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. has postponed the start of flight tests for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, sources said Thursday.
The company initially planned to begin testing the nation's first small passenger jet by year's end, but it will be put off until the end of 2014 because the company is still discussing parts specifications with U.S. and European manufacturers, they said.
The subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. still plans to start deliveries in the second half of fiscal 2015 and will announce the new, overall development schedule within a month, the sources said.
It has received orders for 325 of the jets from such airlines as All Nippon Airways Co. and Skywest Inc. of the United States.
The company established a quality control division at its sales base in the United States in June to accelerate the jet's development.