Embraer has 50 aircraft in the Middle East, of which 24 are Legacy 600s and 650s, Claudio Camelier, vice-president sales, Middle East and Asia-Pacific, Embraer Executive Jets, told AIN.
“Clearly, these are the most successful products in the region, given their range and capabilities. In the Middle East, there is a preference for larger-cabin long-range airplanes. Most of the activity in the Middle East revolves around the Legacy 650 and the Lineage 1000, except for the specialized Phenom 100, which Emirates and Etihad are using now for pilot training.” Embraer brought a Legacy 500, Legacy 650E, and Lineage 1000E to MEBAA 2018.
Embraer recently announced the Praetor 500 and 600 models at the NBAA show in October. “The Praetor has a lot of opportunities in the Middle East. Given the range that the Praetor 600 offers, it can fly direct from Dubai, Riyadh, or Jeddah to London nonstop,” he said.
The Praetor 600 is a super-midsize aircraft that offers the longest range in the marketplace for its size, with a range of 3,900 nm, he claimed. “This is the same as the Legacy 650, Challenger 650, and Falcon 2000. It is starting to be very attractive in the region.”
He said the Praetor 600 had yet to debut regionally. “It has not been in the Middle East yet. We do have Legacy 500s in the Middle East, one in Saudi Arabia and two in Lebanon. The Praetor 600 has the same cabin experience as the Legacy 500. For pilots, the transition from the Legacy to the Praetor 500 or 600 is straightforward. The same type rating exists on the Legacy 500 and Praetor 500 and 600.”
Camelier was keen to disclose recent Middle East deliveries. “This year, so far we delivered an aircraft to Emirates and also one Legacy 500 at the turn of the year to Middle East Airlines. Taking into consideration the shortage of pilots around the world, we believe there are further opportunities for growth of the Phenom fleet. We [now] have five Phenom 100 EVs with Emirates and four 100Es with Etihad,” he said.
“In 2018, the total fleet in the region, including business jets operated by governments, has been stable or even slightly decreasing, at 350 airplanes. These [are] mainly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”
