Embraer Sees Role for E2 Jets in China Amid Domestic Competition

Brazilian planemaker Embraer expects to eventually bring its E2 jets into China, seeing a role for the aircraft among the country’s domestically developed models, a senior executive told Reuters on Sunday. “We have a dedicated team in Beijing, they’re day-to-day working in China,” Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Arjan Meijer said on the sidelines of a global gathering of top airline executives in Rio de Janeiro. “We believe the E2 family is the ideal complement to the indigenous products of China,” he said. Meijer said the E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets would fit between China’s smaller C909 and the larger C919, offering airlines flexibility to connect cities across the country. Embraer is in discussions with potential customers, the executive said, noting the E2 family has been certified by local authorities. The Brazilian company has struggled to find new business in China since the 2016 closure of an executive jet joint venture in Harbin.