Embraer targets underserved Eastern European routes for regional jet sales
Embraer says Eastern European routes that are underserved could support its regional aircraft, though it acknowledges uncertainty around its earlier European delivery forecast.
Embraer believes its regional aircraft can find buyers on routes in Eastern Europe that currently have little or no service, according to Jurjan Knol, the manufacturer's vice-president of marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Knol spoke to Luchtvaartnieuws, a sister publication of FlightGlobal, at the European Regions Airline Association general assembly in Belfast. He said passenger demand on those routes exists, including traffic from business travellers.
Larger narrowbody jets flown on some of those sectors are not always filled, Knol said. If carriers in the region switched to Embraer aircraft, the smaller seat count would let them match capacity to demand and improve the economics of the routes, he added.
Earlier this year Embraer projected it would hand over 1,870 aircraft to European customers over the next two decades. Knol said geopolitical tension and high fuel prices have introduced doubt about that figure, but the company continues to see room for its aircraft in Eastern Europe.
Beyond Europe, he pointed to Central Asia as another area of opportunity, and named India in particular as a sizable market for regional aviation.
Sources
- flightglobal.comEmbraer eyes regional jet opportunities in Eastern Europe