São Paulo – Starting in 2012, Embraer is going to expand its operations in the Middle East. The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer already counts on a sales manager based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, since August this year. Next year, it will have a sales and marketing team working to bring the company closer to its customers in the region.
According to Mathieu Duquesnoy, Embraer’s Middle East and Africa commercial aviation vice president, the number of people at the new office and who they will be has not been decided on yet. “We will include value-adding features for customers,” he says. "We will be in Dubai full time. Our plan is to strengthen our presence near our clients, developing solutions that live up to their expectations. That includes support solutions, maintenance, financing, among others,” explains the executive, who will run the Embraer team in the Arab country.
In an interview to ANBA early this month, Duquesnoy had already mentioned the company’s interest in the Arab world. He intends to double the number of commercial jets operating in the Middle East and North Africa. Presently, there are 65 Embraer aircraft operating in the region, flown by nine operators.
“We envision great potential in the Middle Easterm market, so we find it important to be closer to our clients,” he says. In addition to its new office, Embraer has established a partnership with the Swiss multinational logistics group Kuehne + Nagel to open a new parts distribution centre in Dubai.
The centre will cover an area of 16,000 square kilometres near Al Maktoum International Airport, in Dubai Logistics City, and will supply parts to Embraer clients in the Middle East and Africa. Operations should begin in the second half of 2012.
“Basically, the centre will be an extension of what we have in Paris. There, we will develop customized solutions for our clients. We will have an initial [parts] stock-up worth US$ 7 million and then increase it to US$ 20 million by 2014,” he says.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
