Embraer eyes China market for E2 regional jets, says deal not yet there

Embraer is betting that China can still become a market for its E2 regional jets, with the E190-E2 and E195-E2 positioned between COMAC’s smaller C909 and larger C919. But Arjan Meijer, head of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the Brazilian planemaker is still in talks with Chinese customers and has not yet reached the point of a breakthrough order.

The company’s pitch is built around a fleet gap. COMAC says the C909 has a baseline layout of 78 to 97 seats and a range of 2,225 to 3,700 kilometers, while the C919 has a baseline layout of 158 to 192 seats and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers. Embraer says its E-Jets E2 family offers up to 29% better fuel efficiency per seat, a claim that could matter on thinner regional routes where airlines need lower operating costs to make schedules work.

Meijer said Embraer has a dedicated team in Beijing working with customers day to day, and that the E2 family is meant to complement China’s indigenous aircraft rather than compete head-on with them. He also said Embraer is not moving to a larger aircraft class, despite pressure from some customers, because the company remains focused on jets seating up to roughly 150 passengers.

China has been a difficult market for Embraer to crack. The company says it entered China in 2000 and has delivered 196 commercial and executive aircraft there, while about 80 first-generation E-series jets are still operating in the country. Even so, the newer E2 generation has yet to land a major Chinese airline sale. Embraer’s past efforts have also underscored the challenge: its 2016 executive-jet joint venture in Harbin closed, and a 2023 agreement in Lanzhou to convert passenger aircraft into freighters did not deliver the airline breakthrough some had hoped for.

Embraer has kept pressing its case through local engagement. It hosted a China Regional Aviation Forum in Qingdao in November 2023 with 150 participants, and in June 2023 it signed a letter of agreement with Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group for 20 E190F and E195F passenger-to-freight conversions. Those steps suggest Embraer is trying to build a broader commercial presence in China while waiting for the passenger jet market to open.

The regulatory hurdle is gone. Embraer said China’s Civil Aviation Administration certified the E190-E2 in November 2022 and the E195-E2 on August 23, 2023, which means the remaining obstacle is commercial, not technical. For Embraer, a Chinese sale would do more than add one customer: it would give the company a foothold in one of the world’s most important aviation markets, wedged between local rivals and the dominant Airbus and Boeing narrowbody families.