On November 11, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporations’ Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) successfully completed its first flight. With an industrial cluster centered around Kitakyushu primarily in the automobile manufacturing sector, Fukuoka Prefecture boasts a wealth of technical expertise and skilled human resources. This is one reason Mitsubishi chose Kitakyushu Airport as its hub for testing the MRJ. Beginning with parts procurement, aircraft manufacturing requires extremely high quality control and proper certification. Launched in 2010, the public-private Fukuoka Prefecture Aviation Industry Promotion Council now has 177 members, including many automobile-related companies. It is working to grow Kyushu’s aviation industry by participating in international trade fairs and other such activities. Source: fiba.jp
