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Report: Mitsubishi to close Washington operations, halt SpaceJet flight tests

by CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE
Staff Writer | May 23, 2020 3:46 PM

MOSES LAKE — Mitsubishi Aircraft is closing its U.S. operations, halting flight testing on the SpaceJet in Moses Lake, according to a report in the Seattle Times.

Citing budget troubles, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced it would also close its Renton headquarters and consolidate all SpaceJet activities in Japan, which will “impact the majority of our employees in the United States,” company spokesman Jeff Dronen told the Times.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the parent company of Mitsubishi Aircraft, reported a loss of $275 million for the fiscal year ending March 2020, and expect an even tougher environment for passenger jet sales following the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has four SpaceJet aircraft undergoing flight tests in Moses Lake, which will be grounded and tended by “a small crew,” the Times report said.

The company did not state how many employees would be affected by the closure, though officials with Mitsubishi and AeroTEC have in the past said around 400-450 are employed on the project in Moses Lake.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries recently acquired for $550 million the Canadair small passenger jet production of Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier The acquisition was as part of a settlement of a lawsuit in which Bombardier alleged Mitsubishi poached employees and stole trade secrets on aircraft certification.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.