Will set up unit if orders total at least 200: Embraer exec Raul Villaron

The company estimates India will require at least 500 aircraft in this segment over the next 20 years, driven by growing connectivity needs beyond metro routes and into Tier-II and Tier-III cities

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer said it could ramp up component sourcing from India and is ready to set up a final assembly line in the country if it secures orders totalling at least 200 planes, head of Asia-Pacific Raul Villaron told Business Standard on Monday.

 

“India presents a vast opportunity for regional jets in the 80 to 150-seater segment. If we are able to close orders for about 200 aircraft, it would make strong business sense for us to localise more aggressively, including establishing a final assembly line and expanding our supplier base here,” said Villaron, who is also the company’s senior vice-president for Asia Pacific. 

 

The company estimates that India will require at least 500 aircraft in this segment over the next two decades, driven by growing connectivity needs into Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

 

Unlike turboprops, Embraer’s jets offer longer range and faster travel times, making them well-suited for India’s evolving network, Villaron said.

 

He was speaking to the newspaper on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association. 

 

Currently, Embraer has plane manufacturing facilities in Brazil and the US.

Embraer already has a presence in India with nearly 50 aircraft of 11 different types operating across commercial, defence and business aviation sectors. 

 

Its Indian subsidiary, based in New Delhi’s Aero City, is actively exploring opportunities across defence, commercial aviation, business aviation, services and support, and the emerging urban air mobility spaces.

 

The company is in the process of expanding its local team to strengthen capabilities across corporate functions, procurement, supply chain and engineering.

 

“We are building capacity to support India’s dynamic aerospace and defence ecosystem,” Embraer said in a statement.

In February 2023, Embraer Defense & Security signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mahindra Defence Systems to jointly explore the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme, offering the C-390 Millennium aircraft as a contender.

 

Turboprop aircraft manufacturer ATR had on Sunday told Business Standard that it was willing to establish a manufacturing facility in India, should there be a compelling business case.

 

“Nothing is off the table if it makes sense from an industrial and business perspective,” Jean-Pierre Clercin, head of commercial for ATR in Asia-Pacific, had told Business Standard in an interview.

 

“We are a joint venture between Airbus and Leonardo. Both our shareholders already have a significant footprint in India’s supply chain. And, there’s a lot we can build on from that,” he had added.

 

Currently, ATR manufactures aircraft in France and Italy. In March, Airbus — ATR’s co-owner — announced plans to increase sourcing from India to $2 billion annually by 2030, up from $1.4 billion.