Embraer may become a partner of the government of India in the manufacture of a passenger plane with up to 100 seats in the state of Gujarat, in the west of the country.
The Brazilian planemaker would be one of the companies negotiating with the government of Narendra Modi and would have already completed preliminary discussions on the project, according to sources heard by Blooomberg.
Another competitor would be Sukhoi, says the outlet, which would have expressed interest in participating in the partnership. The famous company that designs the main Russian fighters is part of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) group and has developed the SSJ100 regional jet.
According to people who had access to the project, the plan is to create a new company in which the Indian government would have 51% of the capital and the foreign partner, 49%. One of the required conditions is that there be technology transfer in the program.
E2 jets and next generation turboprop
Embraer’s discussions with Indian authorities have been going on for some time. India’s aviation market is considered the most promising in the world, with its population of 1.4 billion people and a considerably large territory.
Although air travel has expanded thanks to airline investments, small and distant cities lack connectivity.
Embraer told Bloomberg that India has significant opportunities for its regional jets, but it is known that the company is looking for partners to get its next generation turboprop off the ground.
The plane, which will have between 70 and 100 seats, will certainly be a model with better conditions to serve airports with precarious infrastructure.
The situation in Russia, in turn, is conflicting. Although India maintains relations with the government of Vladimir Putin, the SSJ100 jet relies on western components to be manufactured.
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A hypothetical Indian variant could not have UAC as a partner due to Western sactions, except if it used Russian parts, in this case the new SSJ-New, under development in the country.
The Indian government would also have asked ATR to manufacture its turboprops, which are now widely used in the country.
