Page 14 - AAA MARCH - MAY 2022 Online Magazine
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COMMERCIAL AVIATION
Poised to Soar
EMBRAER ENTERS THE P2F SECTOR EVEN and 86 executive jets). Having ended 2021 with
AS IT SEES INCREASED DEMAND FOR ITS the highest delivery backlog in three years,
Embraer expects to deliver 60-70 commercial
COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT AND EXECUTIVE JETS jets and as many as 100-110 executive jets in
2022.
Arun Sivasankaran Reason for Optimism
The general market recovery isn’t the only
reason for the uptick in the number of deliv-
2022 is shaping up to be a landmark year for Embraer, one in eries. Midsize commercial jets producers are
which it finally buries the ghosts of the partnership that was not expected to have opportunities with mainline
to be with Boeing. Already benefiting from the faster-than-ex- or low-cost carriers that are currently looking
pected post-pandemic passenger traffic recovery, the Brazilian to right size their fleet to adjust capacity in the
plane maker has entered the booming freighter market, having post-pandemic situation With the pandemic
launched the E190F and E195F passenger-to freighter-conver- highlighting the importance of regional air travel
sions to capitalize on the growing demand for smaller freighters. and airlines becoming more risk-averse in their
Entry into service is expected in 2024. The company, which has fleet purchases, the demand for the Brazilian
announced plans to launch a new turboprop plane that could enter airframer’s E-jets has grown. “Pre-Covid, air-
service around 2027, is also expected to provide an update later lines wanted bigger aircraft, looking only at the
this year or early next on whether it will go ahead with the plan. unit cost per seat,” says Embraer Commercial
Aviation CEO Arjan Meijer. “We believe they
There is more on the plate. Having committed to flying a hydro- are becoming nimbler and go for aircraft with
gen-powered technology demonstrator aircraft flying by 2025, a better risk profile [such as the E-jets].”
the OEM unveiled, in November last year, the Energia family of
concept aircraft that is expected to help the industry achieve its With Asia Pacific forecast to witness robust
goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company’s sub- post-pandemic aviation growth, Airbus has pro-
sidiary, Eve UAM, already has launch orders for 1,825 vehicles, with jected that the region will require an estimated
non-binding letters of intent from 19 customers in all regions. The 17,620 new passenger and freight aircraft within
only sour note has been the decision, announced earlier this year, this period. Both Airbus and Embraer sense an
to halt development of its E175-E2 regional jet for three years; the opportunity to increase their market presence
jet is expected to enter service between 2027 and 2028. in the region as carriers move away from sin-
The company, which posted a US$44.7 million loss for 2021, gle-type fleets to more diverse ones that can
ended the year on a good note by posting a profit of US$2.1 mil- handle post-pandemic needs. Fueling optimism
lion in the last quarter and is optimistic about a sunnier 2022. The for the company, the utilization levels for the
2021 delivery total of 141 jets, comprising 48 commercial aircraft original-generation Embraer E-Jet fleet have
and 93 executive jets (62 light and 31 mid-size), was an improve- recovered at a much quicker pace than that for
ment over 2020 when it delivered 130 jets (44 commercial aircraft larger single-aisle and widebody aircraft. What
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