Embraer’s Lineage 1000 Generates Interest In India

Airframers/Suppliers
Aviation Daily Jul 16 , 2010 , p. 18
Neelam Mathews

Embraer is tapping India for its new Lineage 1000, an Embraer 190 variant, as it comes to the end of its Asian tour.

The range of 4,400 nm (8,149 km) with eight passengers, or 4,500 nm (8,334 km) with four passengers, enables the Lineage 1000 to fly nonstop from India to Switzerland, South Africa and Australia. In addition to being available in a wide variety of configurations, it is equipped with the latest electronic fly-by-wire flight control system.

“For Embraer, India is the biggest market in Asia-Pacific,” says Jose Eduardo Costas, VP-marketing and sales for executive jets.

“India is the only country in the region where we have sold or have orders for every kind of Embraer aircraft,” Costas told The DAILY.

The Brazilian airframer is looking to replace turboprops currently flown in India with Phenom 100s, which will fly 20% faster and cost less to maintain. Of the 40 Phenom 100/300s sold in Asia, six were taken by Indian customers, who also bought nine Legacy 600s, of which five went to the government.

“Corporations with revenue of $100 million per year can justify the entry-level jet,” says Costas.

An Embraer forecast predicts that in the next 10 years, Asia will buy 1,100 jets, lifting its market share to 12% from 4%. “Now is the right time to be in Asia …. India and China will take 50% of Asia’s market share,” says Costas.

"However, India is in its embryonic stage for business aviation. “A big threat for Asian aviation is how regulation and infrastructure will grow … It will be a challenge for governments to take that opportunity and operate in a different way,” says Costas.

Costas says private airports being built in India will help the situation the country is facing today. “We’re looking to see growth in infrastructure. Already we see [good prospects] at Hyderabad and Bengaluru.”

India has only one fixed-base operator in Mumbai, however, which is a distinct deficiency, given that the growth is in the commercial cities of Delhi and Mumbai, says an official.