Trade minister Toshimitsu Motegi met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Monday in Hanoi to promote sales of a small Japanese jetliner as part of efforts to tap into the market of emerging countries in Asia.
State-run Vietnam Airlines plans to buy around 20 aircraft by 2020 and Japan has been recommending the Mitsubishi Regional Jet currently being developed by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp.
Mitsubishi Aircraft currently has orders for 325 units of the MRJ, including from All Nippon Airways Co. and Skywest Inc., a U.S. regional airline, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Canadian and Brazilian companies have been gaining the upper hand in the global competition to win orders for small jetliners. Fresh demand for such aircraft is expected to increase to more than 5,000 units in the next 20 years.