São Paulo – Brazilian planemaker Embraer is expanding its presence in the United Arab Emirates through a series of partnerships and a major sale to the country. This year, Embraer signed a contract to supply 10 C-390 Millennium aircraft to the UAE Air Force, with an option for 10 more.
“It was the largest export deal for this aircraft in Brazil,” Embraer President and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto told ANBA on Thursday (5).
In the middle of this year, Embraer described the sale in company statements as a “historic agreement” with the UAE, representing the largest international order for the multirole aircraft placed by a single country and marking the aircraft’s entry into the Middle Eastern market.
“It involves close cooperation in services and training. We are also working to purchase parts produced in the region,” Gomes Neto told ANBA about the deal.
According to Gomes Neto, the UAE has market potential for all of Embraer’s products.
He also recalled other sales to the country.
“We also sold two Praetor 600s to the UAE. They are executive aircraft. So, for us, it is a very important market and very important for the future, not only in terms of sales, but also purchases and collaboration on new projects,” Gomes Neto said.
Asked about potential cooperation involving the eVTOL aircraft developed by Eve Air Mobility, a company created within Embraer, Gomes Neto said there is significant potential for the aircraft in the region but noted that it is still under development.
“It is an aircraft that will be operated locally and has to be assembled locally, so if it is selected to operate in any of those regions, it will be assembled and operated locally,” he told ANBA.
This year, Embraer announced several initiatives to strengthen ties with the UAE, including a long-term collaboration agreement with Abu Dhabi fund Mubadala, a memorandum with Mubadala-controlled Strata to deepen cooperation, and an agreement with UAE-based Generation 5 Holding on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and after-sales support.
Embraer’s order backlog reached USD 35.7 billion in the third quarter of this year, up 14% from a year earlier. Assessing the aircraft market and outlook for 2027, Gomes Neto told ANBA that 2026 has been a very good year.
“It’s been a very good year for us in terms of sales, deliveries, growth, everything, although we are concerned about fuel prices, because they significantly increase airlines’ costs, especially for commercial aviation companies,” he said. “So far, we don’t see any impact on us, but it could affect us in the future.”
Oil prices have risen sharply since the beginning of the year due to the conflict in the Middle East, which is affecting oil-producing countries and maritime shipping routes. As a result, jet fuel prices have also increased, along with the prices of other petroleum-based products.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
