MEBAA: Dubai delight as Embraer hits the sweet spot

“We’re positioned well for growth here, especially as Dubai positions itself not just as an international hub but also as a regional one as well,” said Friedrich. “There has been a fantastic transformation and evolution in Dubai as it transitions from being much more than an oil-based economy,” said company’s chief commercial officer, Stephen Friedrich.

Dubai is at the forefront of the rapid emergence of new business sectors, such as the services economy, which is helping to grow the addressable market by 38%, said Peter Griffith, the company’s senior vice-president sales EMEA & APAC.

“We are seeing all kinds of different businesses sprout up and they all want good regional connectivity.”

Friedrich explained that first-time buyers were coming into the market with more travellers using business aircraft as airline networks shrank. “They always had the means, they just didn’t have the impetus. They are saying to us they need this aircraft to maintain our level of productivity. We believe this move to business aircraft is a permanent shift in demand.”

Embraer believes its Praetor 500/600 family of super mid-sized business jets, a model that was designed specifically with the range to operate the 8.5-hour Dubai-to-London route with six passengers, is perfectly suited for customers wanting to use Dubai as a base and a hub.

In addition, Embraer has seen customers seeking to operate more efficiently looking at downsizing to a smaller business jet and “the Praetor is in that sweet spot," said Griffith.

At MEBAA, Embraer is showing a Praetor 500 and a Phenom 300 light business jet.

The 300 is attractive to Embraer’s Indian customer base and the firm has multiple meetings with potential buyers here at the show, said Griffith. It has the range to operate from Dubai to Chennai comfortably, he added.

“We are very optimistic about opportunities in this region for both models and the 300 also sells well into Africa, where it’s become a real workhorse,” said Friedrich.