Embraer is a major player when it comes to challenging Airbus and Boeing in the commercial aviation sector. Embraer is one of the world's leading manufacturers of commercial and executive jets with growing operations in defence and security. Today, it has a client portfolio of more than 100 planes in 60 countries with 1,700 planes in operation. I take a look at how Embraer came about, its aircraft and planes for the future.
Embraer grew out of a national drive to develop aeronautical engineering and aircraft manufacturing in Brazil. The Brazilian government started Embraer on 19th August 1969 as a wholly owned government company. The government appointed Ozires Silva (a former major in the Brazilian Air Force) as president.
Most of Embraer's initial contacts were with the Brazilian government and they started to develop military aircraft alongside commercial aircraft. Privatisation was completed in 1994 when the company was sold to investors on December 7th 1994.
Embraer has several aircraft they have produced.
The E170 was the first E-jet and has a single-class capacity of 72. It was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines (the Launch Customer) in March 2004.
The E175 is a slight stretch of the E170 and has an increased capacity of 78 (or 88 in a high-density configuration). It entered service with Air Canada in July 2005.
The E190 was a larger variant with a stretched fuselage. It has a larger wing and horizontal stabiliser. It carries 100-114 passengers and entered service with JetBlue in 2005.
The E195 has a stretched capacity of 116 to 124. It launched with Flybe in September 2006.
As of 2020, 1,566 E-Jet aircraft have been delivered.
In 2013, at the Paris Air Show, Embraer announced the E2 program. This would feature new improvements such as a new wing design, more fuel-efficient engines and updated avionics.
The E175-E2 is the smallest variant with a capacity of 90 passengers.
The E190-E2 is the same size as the E190 with the same capacity and uses Pratt & Whitney PW1919G engines.
The E195-E2 is the largest aircraft offered by Embraer with 132-146 passengers.
In July 2018, a joint venture with Boeing was announced in which Boeing would take ownership of 80% of Embraer Commercial aircraft. However, this joint venture with Boeing was cancelled in April 2020 with both sides blaming the other for the breakup.
Embraer had planned a new turboprop aircraft with tail-mounted engines with a capacity of 70-90 passengers. However, the programme was suspended in 2022 as Embraer felt it was not the right time for development. However, Embraer still believes the programme would have been a success.
Embraer is also conscious of its environmental impact and aims to produce net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Overall, Embraer has been successful in challenging the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing in the commercial aviation sector. Have you ever flown on an Embraer aircraft? If so, what was it like? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on our forum page.
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