CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, Arjan Meijer gave a very detailed report on the division’s prospects for the coming years.
After seeing 2023 deliveries come within one aircraft of the target of 65 units, Meijer stated that “our goal is to return to around 90 annual deliveries which we achieved in 2018 and 2019.”
For 2024, whose guidance will be revealed within a few weeks, the chief executive said that he expects “double-digit” growth.
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“Our delivery numbers will be based on what our suppliers can realistically supply,” said Arjan, who added that he is encouraged by the quality of the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines that are powering the new E2s leaving the factory.
See below some highlights revealed by Arjan Meijer:
GTF issues
“There is a group of older aircraft in the world fleet that will need shop visits but overall, we will be less impacted than other platforms because the E2 had more improvements built-in since it’s EIS. Also keep in mind that the E2s are lighter and don’t generate as much wear and tear on the engines.”
Supply Chain
“We could have delivered more aircraft but we have to work within the limits of our planning cycle. There’s still room for improvement, particularly with faster shipment of supplies to the production line.”
E2 jets in North America
“Porter gives tremendous visibility to the E2 in the huge USA market. Airlines there are starting to appreciate the range capability of the airplane family, especially the larger E195-E2. The E2 is already generating more conversations with our North American customers but it will take a bit of time to build greater awareness.”
Pilots shortage
“Fewer available pilots favors interest in bigger narrowbodies, and that creates a gap between those aircraft and the regional fleet. There have been a few soft years but the shortage seems to be resolving itself. That implies that we’ll see more demand for smaller narrowbodies which should fill in that gap.”
Potential customers in Asia
“The E190-E2’s capacity fits nicely in the middle of the Chinese product line – the ARJ21 at the lower end and the C919 at the top end. Plus, it has excellent hot and high performance since China has many high-altitude airfields. We took the E190-E2 to Lhasa to prove its capabilities in extreme conditions.”
E190F freighter certification
“We rolled out our first E190F passenger-to-freighter conversion last November. We’re finalizing that aircraft right now and expect the first flight by mid-year with certification shortly after. The next step is to work on the larger E195F.”
Demand for cargo planes
“Demand for cargo has softened since we launched our P2F program. But you need to build when the market is a bit slow so you’re ready when demand comes back. There’s so much opportunity for an E-Jet sized freighter, especially with the boom in e-commerce and the need for faster shipments to smaller markets.”
New-generation turboprop
“We paused development of the concept in 2022 simply because we didn’t have an engine for it at the time. We still don’t have one so we’ve assigned some of those resources to our Energia program. The focus now is on exploring new propulsion technologies – electric, hybrid-electric, and hydrogen – in the up-to-50 seat segment.”
