Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Speculation about Embraer’s plans for a larger, long-range business jet remains just that, given what was said on November 18 at the company’s investor day held at the New York Stock Exchange. Dozens of reporters and analysts repeatedly asked about the Brazilian manufacturer’s plans to develop a larger business aircraft, but executives remained noncommittal and stressed that their focus is on expanding Embraer’s core business by 65% in the next four to five years—not including the Eve eVTOL program.

Even Mike Silvestro, CEO of fractional provider Flexjet—which counts numerous Embraer Phenom 300s and Praetor 500s in its fleet—commented on a panel at the event that he'd love to see a long-range jet enter the Embraer lineup.

“If you look at the Phenom and the Praetor [taking the market share that they do], it’s because the product has been differentiated by something that adds value to the customer,” said Embraer Executive Jets CEO Michael Amalfitano. “What’s the next differentiator that allows us to unlock and unleash the profitability and customer profile for a new segment? Where is the most value? We are talking to customers, because these are billion-dollar investments, and we need to think about the entire life cycle of a product.”

Meanwhile, he turned to Eve and laid out the value of an eVTOL for a business jet customer. “The urban concept Eve is unlocking means time-saving for passengers, and you can apply that to different types of passengers,” Amalfitano said. “If you have a Phenom or Praetor and it’s sitting at an FBO, then you’re saving the time in auto traffic that would be two hours from the Hamptons to the FBO. In the Eve 100, it’s going to take eight minutes.”