Brazilian aerospace company Embraer is looking for at least 200 aircraft orders in India before it sets up an assembly plant in the country.
If the number of orders takes time to hit the mark, the company plans to set up a “completion centre” in India where the aircraft would be painted, fitted with seats, and undergo interior work before delivery to customers, according to a report by The Times of India.
The report quoted the company’s President and CEO, Francisco Gomes Neto, outlining the firm’s India strategy.
Neto said that India is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world. With its economy expanding at a rapid pace, the country’s connectivity needs would also move northward.
He said that a growing economy like India would need at least 500 regional jets in the years ahead, and getting 200 orders out of that is a reasonable target if the company wants its business to be viable and feasible in the country.
According to the Brazilian firm’s president, setting up an assembly plant in India would take about two years. If the company meets the 200 orders target this year, then the plant may come up by 2028.
Its local partner, Adani Group, is in the process of marking out potential sites for the final assembly line. So far, Gujarat’s Dholera is the frontrunner.
Neto cited the government’s UDAN scheme as one of the factors behind India’s rising need for regional flights and, hence, potential demand for jets.
Neto is planning to hold meetings with the executives of India’s key aviation players like Air India and IndiGo. He will meet the decision-makers of the Tata Group company on Friday this week, while the date for meeting with the country’s largest airline operator is yet to be agreed upon.
Embraer wants to assemble its 76–88 seater E175 regional jets in India. These jets are suitable for short- to medium-haul flights. Currently, eight E175 jets operate with Star Air, while one is with Reliance Industries.
