Aircraft

Embraer is to allow its Chinese partner Harbin Aircraft to manufacture parts for the ERJ-145 and could permit some of the ERJ-145s currently assembled in China to be exported, writes Leithen Francis.

ERJ-145s are assembled by Harbin Embraer, a joint venture in north-east China between Harbin Aircraft and Embraer. According to Embraer's chief executive-designate Fred Curado, Harbin Aircraft will start manufacturing some ERJ-145 parts next year, specifically part two and part four of the central fuselage. He says that over time the Chinese will take a greater manufacturing role.

With Embraer having wound up production of ERJ-145 family airliners at its São José dos Campos base in Brazil, Harbin Embraer is now the only plant still making the 50-seat jet, and until now all Chinese-built aircraft have only been for the local market. China's Hainan Airlines has an order for 50 of the type, the first of which is due to be delivered in September and will be the 1,000th ERJ-145 family aircraft to be produced across the two lines.

Curado says Embraer is evaluating whether to let Harbin Embraer export some ERJ-145s, adding that it is possible in future they could be included in some of China's trade deals. It has been known to provide financial aid to some countries, which sometimes takes the form of Chinese-built aircraft.