Embraer Considers Return To China

China: Brazilian aerospace conglomerate is considering building a commercial-aircraft factory in China in the next two years. This could point to a potential shift in approach after the company shut down its plant in China in 2016.

According to chief executive officer Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, the company will wait for the rollout of its first E195-E2 aircraft in 2019 before it starts considering opening a plant in China. He added that the company sees potential “for a little bit over 1,000 aircraft of the size that Embraer manufactures for the next 20 years in China. We [Embraer] have 80 percent of that market.”

According to the company, the E195-E2 plane—with 132 seats in a single-class configuration —will have demand in China and Southeast Asia. The company also stated that 330 of the company’s aircraft are being flown in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.