São Paulo – The Brazilian aircraft manufacturing company Embraer announced this Wednesday
(4th) the sale of five Phenom 100E units to Emirates Airline’s Emirates Flight Training Academy. The Dubai-based airline has the option of buying five other units of the same make. The first aircraft are due for delivery in 2017.<\/p>\n
The jet will be flown by pilots in training. According to Embraer, Emirates’ executive vice president of Operations, Adel Al-Redha, said demand for pilots is on the rise, especially in the Middle East. <\/p>\n
The region’s airlines are expanding their operations and adding aircraft to their fleets. Embraer Executive Aviation CEO Marco Túlio Pellegrini said the Brazilian company is a key partner of Emirates’ in supplying the training jets. <\/p>\n
Last June, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways ordered four Phenom 100Es, with an option for three additional units, for the same purpose: to train its pilots. Pilot schools in the United States, Australia and Finland already fly the Phenom 100E.<\/p>\n
Embraer told ANBA there is no different between the Phenom 100Es sold for training and those used as private jets. The aircraft meets the needs of pilot training programs because its systems are simple and automation-based. <\/p>\n
Embraer said the model’s maximum cruise speed is 720 km per hour with a 2,182 km flight range. The maximum altitude is 41,000 feet. It also said the aircraft’s price point is comparable to that of turboprop aircraft, which are not jet-propelled.<\/p>\n
Embraer also reported that its foothold in the Middle Eastern business aviation industry is growing. There are 40 of its business jets flying in the region. The Middle East requires long-range business jets such as those of the Legacy and Lineage lines. Embraer’s latest model, the Legacy 500, is flown in Saudi Arabia. Before the end of this year, another Legacy 500 will be delivered to Lebanon’s Middle East Airline (MEA).<\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n