Airbus intends to propose partnerships with Embraer in defense and space projects, said the company’s chief executive in Latin America, Victor De La Vela, in an interview with Reuters.
De La Vela spoke with the news agency during LAAD, the main defense and security event in Latin America, which took place last week in Rio de Janeiro.
According to the executive, the conversations have not yet started, but that the objective is to start a dialogue about possible areas of collaboration in the medium term.
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The segments in view are defense and space, where the two companies have complementary activities. In the military area, for example, Airbus has in its portfolio the A400M and the C295, two transport aircraft whose capacity is above and below Embraer’s KC-390 Millennium.
There is also the Super Tucano light attack and close air support turboprop, which had a new variant, the A-29N, announced by Embraer at LAAD and which will be focused on serving NATO countries.
Rivals in air travel
The possible approximation of Airbus comes years after its biggest competitor, Boeing, gave up on acquiring 80% of the commercial division of Embraer.
In 2020, the US company claimed that Embraer did not meet the prerequisites for the joint venture, worth US$ 4.2 billion, to be effective. The Brazilian planemaker, on the other hand, contested and went to court seeking compensation after having to reverse several processes of separation of its businesses.
The merger of Boeing and Embraer aimed to reinforce the portfolio of the two companies in order to compete in better conditions with Airbus, which took over the C Series program, currently the A220.
The company headquartered in Toulouse, France, has become Embraer’s toughest competitor in the market for jets with up to 150 seats, where the A220 competes for orders with the E2 family.
