Embraer has completed the first Phenom 100 demonstration tour of Australia. The entry-level aircraft followed up its appearance at the Singapore air show with stops in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Embraer has already sold two Phenom 100s to Australian customers, with those aircraft ordered in the early stages of the Phenom programme development, says Jose Eduardo Costas, vice-president sales and marketing for Embraer Executive Jets in the Asia-Pacific region.
One of these Phenom 100s is due for delivery later this year and follows the delivery of the first Legacy 600 to Australia late in 2009. Embraer recently appointed ExecuJet as an authorised service centre to support its growing fleet in the country.
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Costas says the response to the Phenom 100 on the tour was "fantastic in every city we stopped". He adds: "Many prospects who had already heard about the Phenom 100 had a chance to actually see it and fly it. People were amazed by its size and comfort as well as its technology and ease of flying."
With its 2,180km (1,180nm) range, the Phenom 100 is capable of flying non-stop from Brisbane to Melbourne.
The tour comes as the business aircraft fleet in Australia is on the increase. More than 250 business aircraft are owned and operated in Australia, says the Australian Business Aircraft Association, with the business jet fleet almost doubling from 80 in 2004 to more than 140 by mid-2009.
The manufacturer is hoping to take the Phenom 100 to New Zealand later this year.
Source: Flight International
