DUBAI: Embraer Executive Jets closes on 1,000th delivery

Embraer Executive Jets is closing in on its 1,000th aircraft delivery, with the milestone set to be achieved in around 11 years since the division’s launch.

The Brazilian manufacturer has so far handed over 930 examples of its business aircraft since it arrived on the market in 2005 with the Phenom 100 and 300 light jets.

“Next year we will be celebrating 1,000 planes in 11 years. That’s an amazing result,” says the division’s chief executive Marco Tulio Pellegrini.

Recent deliveries have included the first Legacy 500s – which is making its Dubai show debut this week - with two so far operating in the Middle East, based in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

“It is the best airplane in its class,” says Pellegrini. “It is going to be well-received worldwide.”

It will shortly be joined in operation by its Legacy 450 stablemate, says Pellegrini. Embraer is aiming to hand over at least two of the mid-size aircraft this year “or maybe a little more”.

In the meantime, the manufacturer appears to be taking the first tentative steps to address the gap in its range between the large-cabin Legacy 650 and the Lineage 1000E corporate jetliner.

Initially, this will consist of “consolidating” its market position and improving its supply chain and infrastructure “for the future”.

“We have plans for the future. We are going to be ready when the market is ready.”

However, any newprogramme would likely have to wait until engineering resources are freed up when development of the KC-390 military transport and E190-E2 commercial jet winds down from in 2018.