Embraer is at AirVenture for the first time with its Phenom 300 light jet.

Embraer’s executive vice-president for executive aviation, Luis Carlos Affonso, says the manufacturer has delivered about 10 300 Phenoms since the aircraft entered service at the end of last year. The aircraft on display at Oshkosh is serial number nine, which was delivered a few weeks ago to US fractional ownership operator Executive AirShare. The Phenom 300 is already operating in the US and Brazil and Affonso says the first European deliveries are scheduled for later this year.

The Phenom 300 is being shown alongside its smaller sister, the Phenom 100, which entered service one year earlier and made its Oshkosh debut in 2009. Affonso says there are now about 140 Phenom 140s in service in 18 countries. He expects the Phenom 300 will be operated in “a similar number of countries over time”.

Affonso says there are signs the business jet market is starting to pick although “the market is very regional based” with some regions recovering faster than others.
 “The market is coming up a little bit, especially the -300s because this year we are demonstrating the airplane for the first time,” he says.

Embraer began operating its first Phenom 300 demonstrator in the second quarter of this year and added a second demonstrator earlier this month. Affonso says this was a key step as several potential customers were interested in the aircraft but were waiting for final certification and the availability of demonstration rides.

Source: FlightGlobal.com