Brazilian planemaker Embraer eyes up China return in battle with Airbus and others over regional jet market
- Weak sales of its smaller passenger aircraft leads Embraer to consider using China as launch pad for new market offensive
- But former aviation sales chief warns regional jets are ‘niche’ as major manufacturers fight for dominance
Flagging Asian sales of new regional jets could prompt Brazil’s Embraer to return its aircraft-building operations to China as it bids to fend off competition within the world superpower and elsewhere.
Embraer has been showcasing its new E2 family of jets in two Asia-Pacific tours over the last nine months, in a renewed push to stimulate sales of the smaller commercial aircraft.
The latest tour, which started in mainland China, came as its European rival Airbus was travelling the Asia-Pacific region showing off its A220 medium-range jet airliners.
The Brazilian plane manufacturer has struggled to rack up sales in growth markets like China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, and rivals, which also include Japan, have stolen business opportunities.
Guo Qing, Embraer’s vice-president of sales and marketing in China, said the company was committed to working with local industries to make plane-building in China a reality again – similar to what Boeing has done in Zhoushan near Shanghai, and as Airbus has achieved with its factory in Tianjin.