Embraer is focused on increasing the market penetration of the E-Jet in Asia, where it sees a significant opportunity for 100-seat aircraft.
“I think there is much more room for a 100-seat jet in Asia,” says Paulo Cesar Silva, executive vice-president of Embraer’s commercial aviation division, at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Doha. “We just have to convince the airlines that it’s not just the [Airbus and Boeing] narrowbodies that’s efficient.”
China, Indonesia and Russia are three countries with many routes between smaller cities ideal for 100-seat jets, he adds.
Only 11%, or 223 aircraft, of the global Embraer regional jet fleet of 2,008 aircraft are operated in Asia-Pacific, Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database shows.
Asked whether Embraer has any concerns about competition with local manufacturers in Asia, Silva says he has none. “We see airlines looking for the best product,” he says. “The most efficient for operations.
Local manufacturers include Comac in China. which hopes to certify its ARJ21 by the end of 2014, and Mitsubishi Aircraft in Japan, which targets an entry-into-service of its MRJ90 in the second quarter of 2017. Both aircraft compete with the E-Jet family.
Silva says that any new airframer will lack the global support network that Embraer can offer its customers.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
