Embraer E-Jet : 170 : 190

Fedair a écrit:Mais enfin, qui dirige Airbus...??

Fedair a écrit:Nous avions prévu ce bazar à venir depuis des mois ( DayAfter qui annonçait notre abaissement de la note dans " Actualité Constructeurs ", je crois)

Nous aimons beaucoup Airbus, ça nous empêche pas de financer des Boeing, business as usual...

Et les syndicats, ils en pensent quoi ?

Les fournisseurs de même ?

Embraer n'a pas sauté le pas, concernant le GTF P&W du moins.

Les ERJ 190 pourraient être allongés un peu, sans problème juridique, sans trop de soucis techniques. Un NG 34 GE qui ne pète pas trop souvent ( par rapport à la concurrence ), c'est possible ?

Le choix de moteurs sur KC 390 pourrait nous éclairer...?

Sriwijaya to acquire up to 30 Embraer 190s

Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya Air has tentatively agreed to acquire up to 30 Embraer 190 regional jets, a deal disclosed during the Paris air show.
Embraer said the agreement - which is "subject to final documentation" - comprised the acquisition of 20 E-190s with purchase rights for another 10.
The airframer values the deal at $856 million at list prices but added that it could reach $1.28 billion if all rights for the aircraft are exercised.
Jakarta-based Sriwijaya Air will fit the aircraft with 100 seats in a single-class layout.
"The airline identified a need for a dedicated fleet of 100-seat aircraft to replace some of its narrowbodies and to achieve its expansion objectives," said Embraer.
These include adding new frequencies on domestic routes and opening new non-stop services.
Sriwijaya Air chief executive Chandra Lie said the airline chose the Brazilian-built jet "because it best fits our strategy of developing new non-stop markets that are not economically viable with larger aircraft".
He added: "The new aircraft type also lets us redeploy our bigger jets elsewhere in the network, where their size is more compatible with demand."
In addition to flights from Jakarta, Sriwijaya will use the aircraft for services from Balikpapan, Makassar, Surabaya and Medan.

Air Astana signs for two Embraer 190s

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has signed a deal for two Embraer 190 jets and taken options on two more.
Under the deal, deliveries to the Kazakh carrier will begin in the first half of next year. The deal is valued at $171.2 million, including options.
"The Embraer 190's range, efficiency and size are ideal to increase services on some highly frequented routes and to start new routes in central Asia, especially towards Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as southern Russia and Georgia," said Air Astana president Peter Foster.
Air Astana has been operating two Embraer 190 jets since last month under a lease agreement with Jetscape and will receive two additional aircraft in 2011 and 2012, in a lease agreement with Air Lease, bringing its fleet to six Embraer 190 jets.

E-Series Hits 1,000 Order Milestone at Paris Today

Congratulations to Embraer, whose E-Jet series hit the 1,000 order milestone today at the Paris Air Show with a four new orders for the E-190. Kenya Airways ordered 10 E-190s, Air Lease Corporation ordered 5 E-190s, GECAS ordered 2 E-190s, and Air Astana 2 E-190s, for a total of 19 new orders. Embraer now has 60 airline customers in 40 countries worldwide for its E-Jet series.
The E-Jet family hit the 1,000 order plateau in less than seven years since EIS, making it the best selling aircraft in the 70-100 seat category.

Jeannot a écrit:Le E-Series a franchi la barre des 1.000 commandes au Bourget Today

E-Series Hits 1,000 Order Milestone at Paris Today

Congratulations to Embraer, whose E-Jet series hit the 1,000 order milestone today at the Paris Air Show with a four new orders for the E-190. Kenya Airways ordered 10 E-190s, Air Lease Corporation ordered 5 E-190s, GECAS ordered 2 E-190s, and Air Astana 2 E-190s, for a total of 19 new orders. Embraer now has 60 airline customers in 40 countries worldwide for its E-Jet series.
The E-Jet family hit the 1,000 order plateau in less than seven years since EIS, making it the best selling aircraft in the 70-100 seat category.

Je n'avais pas vu la commande de SUH pour 5 E190s ni celle de Kenya Airways pour 10 E190s. Rendons donc à César...

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"..........RR a été exclu de tous les appels d'offres de monocouloirs, leur dernière chance est Embraer ensuite, il faudra attendre vers 2025 et rien n'est garanti pour RR de ce côté".

• RR a été sollicité / contacté dans les RFP ;
  
• RR a dit clairement qu'aucun programme de remotorisation, pour les dates d'EIS mentionnées, ne l'intéressait ;
  
• il a maintenu sa ligne, faisant une propostion, dont il savait qu'elle ne serait pas retenue (cela ne le gênait absolument pas) ;
  
• RR avait été sollicité, en tant que membre du Consortium IAE, et en tant que motoriste "stand-alone", par Bombardier, pour les CSeries, avant que Bombardier n'ait contacté P&W ;
  
• IAE, en tant que Consortium, avait refusé de répondre à tout appel d'offres, lancé par Bombardier, pour la motorisation de ses avions CSeries ;
  
• c'est P&W qui a sollicité Bombardier, et, en fait, ils ont fini par se trouver ( il est à peine exagéré de dire que Bombardier ne trouvait aucun motoriste désireux de motoriser ses CSeries, .... et que P&W faisait du porte-à-porte, .... en disant, "J"ai un moteur à caser ; vous n'avez pas un avion pour l'héberger?" ) ;
  
• RR était quasiment seul sur le MRJ-90, quand Sir John ROSE a décidé de retirer RR, pour laisser la place à P&W, qui voulait caser son GTF (le litige RR / P&W sur la question de l'infraction du brevet de RR battait son plein, pendant les périodes concernant les MRJ-90 et CSeries, et avant le lancement des NEO ) ;
  
• RR est bien plus avancé avec Boeing, que GE & /ou P&W dans les discussions liées au NSA / B797 :
  
• RR continue, sur un bon rythme, les programmes Advance2 & Advance3, et les Open Rotors ;
  
• quand les poussières seront retombées & se seront rétablies, ...... le calendrier et le produit 'proposés' par RR pour le NEO s'avéreront justes, raisonnables et honnêtes,....... et on pourra jauger et apprécier l'étendue du "£££%%%£££" de P&W sur son GTF !
  

Jeannot a écrit:Commande de Lufthansa (2 380, 1 330-300, 4 320s et 5 E195s

Lufthansa to take two more A380s and 10 other aircraft

Germany's Lufthansa Group is to acquire another two Airbus A380s as part of an order for 12 new aircraft for the company.

They will be part of a package which includes an Airbus A330-300 and four A320s, plus five Embraer 195 regional jets.

Lufthansa's supervisory board approved the acquisition, which it values at around €1 billion ($1.3 billion) at list prices, at a meeting today.

It said the "moderate" expansion is designed to give the airline capacity to meet "short-term requirements".

The aircraft will be delivered to the group in stages from 2012, it added.

Lufthansa's agreement, once firmed, will take the number of A380s it has on order to 17. Its current A380 fleet is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.

It has not given engine selections for the A330 or A320s but its current A320 fleet is fitted with CFM International CFM56s, while its A330s have Trent 700 powerplants.

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Embraer said GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has inked a contract for six Embraer 190s, plus six options, with the right to convert to the E-195. The total value of the deal is $256.8 million at list prices. Delivery will begin in the 2012 fourth quarter, Embraer said.

Embraer said this new contract expands on the agreement for two E-190s announced at the Paris Air Show in June ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

GECAS has 93 E-jets of all models on lease with 15 airlines around the world, and its portfolio now comes to 101 E-jets.

Embraer and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of General Electric Company, have signed a contract for six firm orders and six options of the Embraer 190, with the right to convert to the Embraer 195.

GECAS president and CEO Norm Liu said, “We continue to see strong demand for Embraer’s E-jets, as carriers of all types from around the world expand their point-to-point services. We have built a large base in the regional sector and we will continue to grow with these customers.”

Lessor CIT Aerospace is to acquire up to 30 Embraer 190s and 195s under an agreement which already includes 10 firm aircraft.

The Brazilian airframer said that deliveries of the twinjets would take place through to 2015.

It marks CIT's first agreement to take the type directly. Embraer said CIT's decision to join the E-Jet customer portfolio confirmed that the family had "achieved a high level of attractiveness for the top-tier investor community".

CIT transportation finance president Jeffrey Knittel said the acquisition would enable the lessor to offer an "even more diverse set of products" to customers.

"This order allows CIT Aerospace to continue to maintain one of the youngest and most technologically advanced fleets in the industry and will help us meet our customers' increased demand for this size of aircraft," he added.

Embraer commits to re-engined E-Jets

Embraer has confirmed plans to abandon development of a narrowbody competitor to Airbus and Boeing and instead focus on an estimated $2 billion programme to deliver a re-engined and possibly stretched version of the Embraer 170 and 190 families by 2018.

The move leaves the Bombarder CSeries and Comac C919 alone to challenge the narrowbody duopoly of the 737 and A320.

Embraer considered developing a rival product in the 130-160-seat segment for several years, but the "window of opportunity" collapsed after Boeing decided in August to deliver the re-engined 737 Max in 2017, said Paulo Cesar Souza e Silva, president of Embraer commercial aircraft.

"We aren't seeing at this moment a good business or commercial case in order to move forward and develop a large commercial narrowbody," Silva said. "Our decision is to no longer to focus on the development of a larger jet. We will focus on our current segment."

Embraer instead will target continuing development of a loosely-defined "second-generation" of the E-Jet family, he said.

The E-170, E-175, E-190 and E-195 jets straddle the 70-120 seat market, but the re-engined family could stretch to 130 seats, Silva said.

"[A stretched version] can be a possibility. Of course nothing is yet decided," Silva said, before adding: "I believe many of our customers would like to have such an aircraft."

Embraer has started working with E-Jet customers to start defining the performance goals and technical characteristics of the new aircraft family. Incorporating a composite airframe is among the improvements being considered, Silva said.

But the most important change already decided is to replace the General Electric CF34 with an all-new engine. GE is currently developing an advanced turbofan in the same power class called the "Passport". However, Silva declined to commit to using that powerplant as the default engine for the second-generation E-Jet.

"We are deeply assessing this," Silva said. "Of course, GE is already our major supplier, but we are looking at other options also [and] assessing them."

The re-engined aircraft will have a larger fan diameter, which will require Embraer to install taller landing gear to allow sufficient ground clearance.

Despite committing to the second-generation E-Jet, Embraer will reconsider its options if the plans of its competitors start to change.

"If there is any window of opportunity," Silva said, "we could reconsider our views and change our decision."

Embraer Mulls Flight Deck Changes For Updated E-Jets

As Embraer defines its plan for the second generation E-Jet regional aircraft, it is planning to ensure pilots will need to have only one type rating to operate either aircraft type.

Over the course of the next year, Embraer will have discussions with airlines to assess what their requirements are for a new product and to define the performance parameters by late next year for the new family of aircraft, says Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer President, Commercial Aviation.

A range of issues remain open for discussion beyond the engine selection – where incumbent General Electric is considered the front runner but talks also are taking place with the likes of Pratt & Whitney and CFM International. Among those is whether to go for a full fly-by-wire system and what changes to make to update the flight deck.

But de Souza stresses that “commonality with the E-Jets is a must.” The core elements of the E-Jet upgrade, beyond the engine, are a new engine, wing, and landing gear, which will likely be applied to the E175, E190 and E195. The E170 may not be upgraded unless there is a relaxation of U.S. scope clause agreements. What may change is the number of passengers the updated E195 can carry, with some airlines showing interest in higher seat-count.

The new aircraft, which is due to come to market around 2018, may not feature greater range, because there may not be much customer push for that enhancement.

De Souza notes that even as Embraer continues working on defining and developing the second generation E-Jets, the aircraft maker will continue updating the current models to keep them market relevant. That includes introducing a health monitoring system, further fuel burn improvements, and a new interior in about two years.

The consideration of building a narrowbody-sized airliner is shelved until around 2022-2025. Embraer, at one point, considered such a move, but determined there was no business case for another offering in that market given the strong competition from Airbus and Boeing. Embraer has not walked away from the narrowbody spirations, and signals it could shift the date from the 2022-2025 timeframe depending on how the market evolves, de Souza says.

Singapore-based aircraft lessor BOC Aviation will purchase 15 Embraer E190 aircraft with deliveries scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2012 and run through 2014.

"We see excellent potential for the E190 not only here in Asia where there is strong growth, but also with airlines around the world that have discovered the importance of 100-seat aircraft capacity, both in developing new markets and complementing narrow-body operations with relevant economic gains," said Robert Marin, BOC Aviation director and CEO.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

The deal marks BOC's first purchase of Embraer aircraft. The company operates 179 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and has 73 on firm order.

"The E190 will allow us to expand the range of BOC Aviation products to customers in established and emerging markets," added Martin.

MONTREAL - Embraer is teaming with U.S. aluminium giant Alcoa to improve the fuselage and wings of the regional aircraft it sells to compete with Bombardier.

The Brazilian manufacturer recently decided against developing a new plane to challenge Bombardier's CSeries
now under development.

Instead, Embraer announced Thursday a technology sharing agreement that will use Alcoa's proprietary aluminum alloys, advanced design and manufacturing techniques, and its fastener technologies to support the development of a new fuselage and wings for its current family of aircraft.

Embraer and Montreal-based Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) compete head to head primarily for regional jets with less than 120 seats.

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa (NYSE:AA) said the deal will "leverage Alcoa's 100 years of aerospace technology experience and latest technology innovations to help Embraer develop high-performance aluminum aircraft."

Among Alcoa's products are lightweight aluminum and aluminum lithium alloys.

In June, Alcoa launched new alloys and technologies that it says will lower the weight, cost and maintenance of new aircraft compared with composites.

Robin a écrit:Alcoa s'accorde avec Embraer sur une utilisation optimisée de ses alliages, voilure, fuselage et fixations

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

MONTREAL - Embraer is teaming with U.S. aluminium giant Alcoa to improve the fuselage and wings of the regional aircraft it sells to compete with Bombardier.

The Brazilian manufacturer recently decided against developing a new plane to challenge Bombardier's CSeries
now under development.

Instead, Embraer announced Thursday a technology sharing agreement that will use Alcoa's proprietary aluminum alloys, advanced design and manufacturing techniques, and its fastener technologies to support the development of a new fuselage and wings for its current family of aircraft.

Embraer and Montreal-based Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) compete head to head primarily for regional jets with less than 120 seats.

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa (NYSE:AA) said the deal will "leverage Alcoa's 100 years of aerospace technology experience and latest technology innovations to help Embraer develop high-performance aluminum aircraft."

Among Alcoa's products are lightweight aluminum and aluminum lithium alloys.

In June, Alcoa launched new alloys and technologies that it says will lower the weight, cost and maintenance of new aircraft compared with composites.

In June, Alcoa launched new alloys and technologies that it says will lower the weight, cost and maintenance of new aircraft compared with other composites.

Former Embraer CEO Maurício Botelho has resigned as the company's chairman.

In a statement the Brazilian airframer said Botelho stepped down for personal reasons.

Botelho was responsible for Embraer's quick acceleration into the regional jet market and spearheaded the company's business jet strategy.

"As president and CEO of Embraer, from 1995 to 2007, Maurício Botelho led the restructuring, growth and internationalisation process of the company, after its privatisation," said Embraer.

He joined Embraer as an aerospace outsider after serving as top executive of Odebrecht, a Brazilian engineering conglomerate even larger than Embraer.

Vice-chairman of Embraer's board of directors Hermann Wever will assume chairmanship until the date of an extraordinary general assembly to elect a new chairman, which Embraer said would occur in the near future.

E-Jet revamp promises three-way engine 'dogfight'



A fierce battle is brewing between GE, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney to supply as many as 3,000 engines to power the re-vamped Embraer E-Jet family.

Steven Udvar-Hazy, Air Lease Corp chief executive describes the three-way contest as "a real dogfight". He anticipates as many as 3,000 engines could be at stake through a sole-source contract to power the Embraer 198, the moniker given to the conceptual aircraft by ALC.

Attention has recently been focused on the potential competition to power Boeing's 777X concept, but Hazy says the fight to deliver an engine offering a 10% improvement in specific fuel consumption (SFC) on the E-Jet will be equally fierce.

"I think Rolls-Royce could be a factor there if they play it smart, but I think they're putting too much effort into the 777," he says of its proposed RB3025 engine for the next generation 777s. "The one area I'd like to see Rolls more aggressive on is on the Embraer [re-engining]."

GE is the exclusive engine supplier for the E-Jet family with its CF34-8 and -10 engines for the E-170/E-175 and E-190/E-195, respectively.

Air Lease is advising Embraer, which recently visited its Los Angeles headquarters, to offer a one-row, four-seat stretch to the E-190 and a two- or three-row, eight-to-12-seat boost on the larger E-195, providing an overall 15-17% fuel burn improvement, says Hazy, whose Air Lease has ordered 30 E-Jets.

Today's single-class 114-seat and 122-seat E-190 and E-195 would rise to 118 seats and 130-134 seats, respectively.

Much of the efficiency improvement would be enabled through a larger diameter fan that would be accommodated by slightly raised landing gear and a new, larger aluminium or carbonfibre wing, says Hazy.

The increased capacity would bring renewed pressure to bear on Bombardier's CSeries, notes Hazy. "That puts both airplanes very close to the smaller [100-125-seat] CSeries, but look at the R&D costs of an advanced Embraer versus an all-new CSeries," says Udvar-Hazy, who adds Embraer's comparatively lower development costs would deliver pricing flexibility.

"It's going to be very competitive, I think, [against] the CSeries," he says of the new E-Jet. Embraer has "such a huge customer base that's it's a natural for someone who will have a 10-to-12-year-old E-175 or E-190 to upgrade to [the re-engined model]."

The Brazilian airframer announced in 2011 it would focus its attention exclusively on development of a potentially re-winged, re-engined E-Jet family rather than an all-new aircraft.

Jeannot a écrit:Belle baraille de motoristes pour l'-Jjet remotorisé.

E-Jet revamp promises three-way engine 'dogfight'

A fierce battle is brewing between GE, Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney to supply as many as 3,000 engines to power the re-vamped Embraer E-Jet family.

Steven Udvar-Hazy, Air Lease Corp chief executive describes the three-way contest as "a real dogfight". He anticipates as many as 3,000 engines could be at stake through a sole-source contract to power the Embraer 198, the moniker given to the conceptual aircraft by ALC.

Attention has recently been focused on the potential competition to power Boeing's 777X concept, but Hazy says the fight to deliver an engine offering a 10% improvement in specific fuel consumption (SFC) on the E-Jet will be equally fierce.

"I think Rolls-Royce could be a factor there if they play it smart, but I think they're putting too much effort into the 777," he says of its proposed RB3025 engine for the next generation 777s. "The one area I'd like to see Rolls more aggressive on is on the Embraer (re-engining)."

GE is the exclusive engine supplier for the E-Jet family with its CF34-8 and -10 engines for the E-170/E-175 and E-190/E-195, respectively.

Air Lease is advising Embraer, which recently visited its Los Angeles headquarters, to offer a one-row, four-seat stretch to the E-190 and a two- or three-row, eight-to-12-seat boost on the larger E-195, providing an overall 15-17% fuel burn improvement, says Hazy, whose Air Lease has ordered 30 E-Jets.

Today's single-class 114-seat and 122-seat E-190 and E-195 would rise to 118 seats and 130-134 seats, respectively.

Much of the efficiency improvement would be enabled through a larger diameter fan that would be accommodated by slightly raised landing gear and a new, larger aluminium or carbonfibre wing, says Hazy.

The increased capacity would bring renewed pressure to bear on Bombardier's CSeries, notes Hazy. "That puts both airplanes very close to the smaller (100-125-seat) CSeries, but look at the R&D costs of an advanced Embraer versus an all-new CSeries," says Udvar-Hazy, who adds Embraer's comparatively lower development costs would deliver pricing flexibility.

"It's going to be very competitive, I think, (against) the CSeries," he says of the new E-Jet. Embraer has "such a huge customer base that's it's a natural for someone who will have a 10-to-12-year-old E-175 or E-190 to upgrade to (the re-engined model)."

The Brazilian airframer announced in 2011 it would focus its attention exclusively on development of a potentially re-winged, re-engined E-Jet family rather than an all-new aircraft.

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Embraer is unlikely to launch a next-generation, re-engined variant of its E-jet family before next year, but will continue to introduce gradual enhancements to its current models, the company’s president and CEO said Tuesday.

The Brazilian manufacturer is also continuing to explore different engine options for the future model despite its long-time relationship with GE Aviation and the CF-34 engine, Frederico Curado said during a press briefing in Washington, DC.

Embraer announced late last year it had dropped plans to enter the 130-160 seat narrowbody market and would instead focus on developing a re-engined variant of its E-jet family that could be ready in 2018 ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

“We need a very, very good engine that delivers a significant reduction in fuel burn, but also a reduction in maintenance costs,” Curado said.
“GE is a great partner, but we have to be open-minded about what is the best engine for the aircraft because this is a core feature of the airplane. Reliability is a given, and then it must deliver reduced fuel burn and maintenance costs.”

Curado said the company was in no hurry to launch the new variant.

“Our E-jets are modern aircraft and the 190 is selling well and has a strong backlog. We are very intensively talking with our customers and we will eventually converge on how many models we will have and the extent of the modifications to the airframe.

Is it just new engines or something else? That talk is not within our engineering walls; it’s about talking to our customers and it’s a long process to decide exactly what our customers want,” he said.

Curado therefore does not expect an announcement on the aircraft before next year, although he said an engine selection could potentially happen this year. In the meantime, gradual enhancements will continue to current models.

Curado added that he was happy with the decision to stay out of the narrowbody market, although it was difficult to reach.

“We didn’t see a business case for us or anyone else. We are happy with that decision and all of our efforts will be focused on the E-jets,” he said.

MESCAN a écrit:Jet régional. Embraer discute avec ses clients et étudie toujours une alternative au GE CF-34.
Une réponse début de l'an prochain ?

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

.....The Brazilian manufacturer is also continuing to explore different engine options for the future model despite its long-time relationship with GE Aviation and the CF-34 engine, Frederico Curado said during a press briefing in Washington, DC.

Embraer announced late last year it had dropped plans to enter the 130-160 seat narrowbody market and would instead focus on developing a re-engined variant of its E-jet family that could be ready in 2018 ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

“We need a very, very good engine that delivers a significant reduction in fuel burn, but also a reduction in maintenance costs,” Curado said.
“GE is a great partner, but we have to be open-minded about what is the best engine for the aircraft because this is a core feature of the airplane. Reliability is a given, and then it must deliver reduced fuel burn and maintenance costs.”

Curado said the company was in no hurry to launch the new variant.

“Our E-jets are modern aircraft and the 190 is selling well and has a strong backlog. We are very intensively talking with our customers and we will eventually converge on how many models we will have and the extent of the modifications to the airframe.

Is it just new engines or something else? That talk is not within our engineering walls; it’s about talking to our customers and it’s a long process to decide exactly what our customers want,” he said.

Curado therefore does not expect an announcement on the aircraft before next year, although he said an engine selection could potentially happen this year.

In the meantime, gradual enhancements will continue to current models.

• devenu avion de compensation pour les retards de livraison sur le programme B787 (certes il se vend bien, mais seulement à des prix bradés, et parce qu'il est dsponible),
  
• et maintenant en état de morte commerciale programmée, ayant été en état de mort commerciale lente depuis le 4ème trimestre 2006, sans authentiques commandes fraîches depuis cette date (et qu'on ne nous fasse pas rire, en nous opposant les 50 x B777-300ER commandés 'ferme' au dernier Salon de Dubai) !
  

Embraer E-Jet Decisions Months Off

Embraer may wait until 2013 to pick a new engine for its family of E-Jets as it talks with airlines about what upgrades are needed to keep the jets competitive.

President and CEO Frederico Fleury Curado says the Brazilian airframer is studying a range of options for the E-170/175 and E-190/195 jets, including a next-generation engine, whether to offer three or four variants and what improvements should be made beyond the new engines. But he says the company is “some time away from having a frozen configuration.”

Among the changes being looked at are an all-new wing and extended landing gear that would provide room for larger, higher-bypass turbofans aimed at providing fuel burn improvements of about 10% over current models. “My guess is the bulk of what is going to be the next generation of E-Jets would be [decided] more toward next year than this year,” Curado said in an editorial roundtable in Washington, adding that the existing E-Jets—which are designed to serve the 70- to 120-seat airline market—are selling well and have solid backlogs. “The -190 was certified just six years ago,” he notes.

Curado says whatever upgrades are made will be tailored to meet the needs of Embraer’s customers. “It’s identifying exactly what the customers want,” he says. “Those things are not as clear as one might think. You have to compute and translate that into airplane specs.”

The biggest change clearly will be to outfit the E-Jets with next-generation engines. Embraer has a longstanding relationship with General Electric (GE), which provides the CF34-8 for the E-170/175 and CF34-10 for the E-190/195 and is developing a new centerline regional jet engine dubbed NG34 and certified as a CF34 successor program. But Pratt & Whitney says it could offer almost a two-year time advantage to Embraer if the airframer selects a variant of the PW1000G geared turbofan, versions of which are being offered on the Airbus A320NEO, Bombardier CSeries and Mitsubishi Regional Jet. Rolls-Royce also is interested in offering a powerplant.

Asked what it would take for Embraer to leave GE, Curado stressed that the company is seeking not only more efficient fuel consumption, but also reduced maintenance costs and solid reliability. “GE is a great partner, [but] we have to be open-minded about what is the best engine for the aircraft,” he says. “It’s the core feature of the aircraft.”

Curado also confirms that the new family of E-Jets will not push up into the market segment long dominated by the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families. The Brazilian airframer had considered launching a new family of jets to enter that space, but abandoned the idea last November in favor of developing a second generation of E-Jets. “That was a difficult decision for us,” he acknowledges. “I think it was the first time that I decided not to do something … But we really do not see a business case for us, or for that sake, anybody else.”

“Down the road everything is possible,” he adds. “Technology changes, the competitive landscape changes. But I don’t see that in the short term.”