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Embraer
has confirmed the sale of 50 ERJ 145s and 50 Embraer 190s to HNA Group, the fourth largest airline company in China. The
deal marks the first contract involving an E-Jet in mainland China. The total value of the firm
aircraft at list prices is US$ 2.7 billion.
Deliveries will commence in September 2007 for the ERJ 145s. The 50-seat ERJ 145s will be
produced by the joint venture Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry (HEAI), in the city of Harbin,
China. For the Embraer 190, deliveries are planned to start in December 2007. The 106-seat
Embraer 190, to be configured for single class service, will be manufactured at the plant of São José dos Campos,
Brazil.
“We are delighted to make public this deal which confirms the correctness of our vision and
Embraer's long-term strategy to become an important player in the Chinese market. The 50
ERJ 145s will help HNA Group build a strong regional aviation network – a solid
foundation for its growth plans. At the same time, the debut of the Embraer
190 in mainland China is perfect for HNA Group’s expansion plans for medium density markets as well as high
frequency city-pairs, given the size, excellent performance, passenger comfort and
economics of our E-Jets,” said Maurício Botelho, Embraer Chairman, President and CEO.
“China and Brazil have joined forces and successfully produced the world-class ERJ 145
family jet aircraft for the Chinese market. The awarding of the order of 50 ERJ 145s by HNA
Group will further secure the future success of the joint venture which, in turn, will
strengthen the cooperation between China and Brazil in the aviation field.” said Mr. Zhang
Hongbiao, President of China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II),
Embraer’s partner in the HEAI joint venture.
The introduction of the ERJ 145 and the
Embraer 190 will help improve the current domestic route network by deploying such a mixed
fleet on thin routes or to open new markets. This should benefit the economic development of small/medium cities in the West and Northeast
regions.
“HNA Group is operating the biggest fleet of regional jets in China,” said Mr. Chen
Feng, Chairman of HNA Group. “The acquisition of ERJ 145s and Embraer 190s represents
an important validation of our strategy of providing more flexible flights to match the
rapidly increasing demand of the domestic market in China.”
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