Iran's Deputy Transport Minister, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, has confirmed that the country will not be purchasing any M90s from Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, reports Iran's Press TV. National carrier IranAir (IR, Tehran Mehrabad) had been considering the Japanese manufacturer for a possible order of eighty MRJs.
Kashan said that "there is no chance of reaching an agreement with this company [Mitsubishi] at present and the purchase of aircraft from it is out of question."
Japan's regional jet program has suffered significant delays since launching in 2008, and earlier this year announced that it was yet again pushing back its expected entry into service (EIS) until 2020.
Iran Air has recently made deals with Boeing, Airbus and ATR - Avions de Transport Régional for fleet upgrade and replacement. The vigorous spending spree comes after the lifting of economic sanctions against the country last year. Iran Air's current fleet has an average age of more than 23 years.
Rival carrier Iran Aseman Airlines (EP, Tehran Mehrabad) is still apparently considering adding MRJ metal to its fleet. In April this year, Aseman placed an order for up to sixty B737 MAX with Boeing (BOE, Washington National), but said at the time that it had not yet given up its MRJ plans.
