Mitsubishi Heavy Industries confirmed Wednesday that it has reached an “advanced” stage of negotiation with Bombardier over the potential acquisition of the CRJ program. Responding to reports first published by industry publication The Air Current that an announcement of the deal might come as soon as this month’s Paris Air Show, Mitsubishi stressed that it has not rendered a decision yet.

“Neither has any corporate decision been made, nor are there any prospects as to the contents of such a transaction,” it said in a written statement. “If ever any such decision is made, we will disclose as necessary in accordance with the applicable stock exchange regulations.”

News of the possible acquisition comes as Bombardier continues its efforts to divest completely from the commercial aircraft business. Just two days ago Viking Air parent Longview Capital said it completed the acquisition of Bombardier’s Dash 8 aircraft business and named its new subsidiary De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited. That deal followed the more celebrated sale of a controlling stake in the Bombardier C Series to Airbus last July, in which the Quebec government now shares a minority position with the Canadian manufacturer under what on June 1 became known as the Airbus Canada Limited Partnership.  

Last month Bombardier said it would sell its aerostructures businesses in Belfast and Morocco as part of consolidating its aerospace enterprise into a “single, streamlined and fully integrated” unit located at sites in Montreal, Mexico, and Texas. The newly created Bombardier Aviation division would encompass business aircraft and CRJ regional jets, the company said, but at the time Bombardier made no mention of any further divestment.

The sale of the CRJ to Mitsubishi would, in effect, consolidate the regional jet manufacturing industry into two main players: Mitsubishi Aircraft and Embraer. Of course, Embraer’s commercial business itself stands to become part of Boeing if antitrust regulators approve a deal Embraer shareholders approved in February under which Boeing would control an 80 percent share.