Mitsubishi, Bombardier deal to close on June 1

TOKYO — Mitsubishi Aircraft announced on Thursday that its $550 million deal to purchase Bombardier’s Canadair passenger aircraft division will close on June 1.

Quebec-based Bombardier builds the CRJ — Canadair Regional Jet — family of small jetliners for regional airlines, which are designed to carry between 50 and 100 passengers. Mitsubishi plans two SpaceJet models to carry between 75 and 88 passengers, with a 100-person variant under study, according to the company’s website. Mitsubishi began testing the SpaceJet in Moses Lake in 2016, but certification of the plane has been delayed for several years.

As part of the deal, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — the parent company of Mitsubishi Aircraft — is acquiring all of Bombardier’s “maintenance, support, refurbishment, marketing, and sales activities for the CRJ Series aircraft, along with the “type certificates” for the aircraft. A type certificate attests that an aircraft is airworthy and can be mass produced.

— Charles H. Featherstone