March 24, 2008 -- Vietnam Airlines is close to becoming the first foreign airline to order Japan's first passenger jet, which Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to develop under the Mitsubishi Regional Jet name or MRJ.
The state-owned air carrier is currently in the final stages of negotiations with Mitsubishi Heavy toward ordering 20 MRJs, a ¥64 billion deal which may be completed as early as the beginning of April. The Hanoi government has requested that Mitsubishi Heavy build a factory to manufacture parts for the MRJ in Vietnam. In turn, the Japanese heavy machinery manufacturer has drawn up a plan asking for a plant for main-wing components. Mitsubishi Heavy had already decided to construct a factory in Vietnam to assemble main-wing flaps for Boeing Co.'s 737 jet planes.
Abstracted from Asia Pulse
