Aircraft

Embraer is working on the business plan for a new, two-member, business jet family, aimed at filling the gap between its Phenom 300 and Legacy 600 products.

As part of its long-term plan to increase its corporate jet business, Embraer president and chief executive Frederico Fleury Curado says it is concentrating its development efforts between the "mid-light and mid-sized" segments. "If we launch, it would be two aircraft," he says.

"Another family with a new cross section, a new fuselage, not a Phenom, not a Legacy, a blank sheet of paper aircraft. We are trying to make a viable case - it is not only that we are looking at them out of curiosity - we are trying to build a viable business plan for those aircraft."

Curado refuses to be drawn on timelines, but says the launch decision will not be taken before year-end.

"First of all this is a board decision and we are not ready. It will not be at the National Business Aviation Association Convention [in September]. I will not be bound by this pressure".

Beyond this development, in the longer term, Curado says Embraer is evaluating larger business jets. "The other alternative would be to go into the ultra-large segment, but I think that is still further down the road."

Embraer has delivered a Legacy 600 to Angolan state-run aircraft procurement agency and operator Simportex. The Luandan company will also take delivery in the coming months of a refurbished EMB 120 Brasilia twin-turboprop.

Both aircraft will be used to transport Angolan government officials.