Embraer is planning to double the number of E-Jets operating in the Middle East over the next two years.
With 65 of the family in service in the Middle East, the aircraft are already the second most-operated type in the region, after the Airbus A320.
During an event in Muscat, Oman, Embraer vice-president commercial aviation Mathieu Duquesnoy said the Brazilian airframer plans to take advantage of the untapped growth potential for regional jets in the Gulf.
"The fact that 84% of aircraft in the Middle East have more than 120 seats offers a large number of opportunities for the 30- to 120-seat jet market," said Duquesnoy, noting that his flight to Oman had been half-empty.
"It's about using the right capacity for the right market. Some routes can sustain an A380, but many markets don't have the passenger volumes to justify larger aircraft," he added. A global fleet forecast recently produced by Flightglobal's data and consultancy division Ascend predicted that the number of regional jets in the Middle East will more than double to 172 aircraft over the next 10 years. Embraer holds a 74% market share of the 85 regional jets currently in operation. Regional expansion in the Gulf has not yet happened and - as a result - the Embraer 170 gets "more pressure and competition in other parts of the world", Duquesnoy added.
Source: Flight International
