Page 9 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015 Online Magazine

FEATURE REGIONAL JETS

From Russia with SSJ100 its E-Jets. The E190-E2, E195-E2 and in 2018. It is investing about uS$1.7 billion
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC), E175-E2 will sport next-generation Pratt to refresh the E-Jet family to face the
which is responsible for the marketing & Whitney geared turbofan engines. competition.
and sales of SSJ100 in Russia, China, While admitting that the new airframe “We have positioned our E-Jet family
India, Middle East and Southeast Asia, OEMs will taste some success in their aircraft, both the current generation and
expects the volume of the Indian market domestic markets, Chief Commercial the E-2 family, perfectly to complement the
for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft to be Officer of Embraer, John S Slattery, says, larger offerings from Boeing and Airbus.
around 50 aircraft until 2030. “It’s important for the new OEMs to We feel confident about our ability to sell
The SSJ100 is a 100 seat regional jet broaden their footprint outside of their these aircraft. The analogue of success is
designed, developed and built by SCAC, domestic home market to have credibility that we have achieved 590 commitments
in partnership with Alenia Aermacchi, a in the global market...It takes a lot for in just a year-and-a -half from the launch
Finmeccanica Company. an airline that is operating an existing of the programme. That is the testament
With the industry estimates pointing aircraft, successfully and profitably, to to the demand from the airlines and the
to a demand between 2,600 and 6,000 make an (alternate) move.” operating leasing community for the
aircraft in this market segment over the Embraer today enjoys the benefit of a airplane,” Slattery says.
next two decades, the real question is if franchise footprint, that is 65 customers Referring to several orders for the
the emerging airframers can effectively in 45 countries. “That’s an enormous ARJ21-700 in China, Slattery says,
compete against existing players in their resource for an airframe OEM to have,” “the new OEMs will be a success in the
age-old turf. Slattery says. domestic market, but it won’t be exclusive
A few analysts, however, observe that “Our aircraft are designed and to keeping the Embraer out.”
it won’t be easy going for Embraer and developed for purpose, after listening Faced with the competition,
Bombardier during the next few years. to the demands of the customers. The Bombardier, the other leading planemaker
“While it will take time for the new advantage we have over these new in this category, has decided to go one
producers to build a global presence, airframe OEMs is that we know the airlines step ahead by moving upmarket in terms
potentially this can present a threat to and the customers know the aircraft and of size and is already well advanced with
Embraer and Bombardier’s well-established understand the aircraft and its operational the development of its CSeries jets, which
markets,” says Tamilla Curtis, Assistant costs. They can see that our aircraft are are being optimised at 110-130 seats.
Professor of Management at Embry-Riddle being operated by some of the largest Embraer and Bombardier forecast
Aeronautical university, Florida. airlines in different regions of the world significant growth in sales during the next
successfully and profitably. So it’s in that 20 years both to meet higher demand and
Taking on the Challenge backdrop we are selling our E-2 jets. to replace existing older aircraft.
Embraer, the current market leader in “It will be very difficult for airframe Embraer forecasts a requirement
regional jets with its range of 70-120 OEMs that don’t have this relationship to for 6,875 new jets in the 30 to 120-seat
seat E-Jets, is not taking the competition sell to customers that they don’t know,” segment during the next 20 years with
lightly, though it says competition forces it he adds. a total market value estimated about
to stay close to the customers. Embraer’s upgraded E2 lineup uS$200 billion.
The Brazilian airframer has already features jets with new engines, and the
embarked on a complete overhaul of planemaker is targeting the first delivery
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