Embraer aims for quicker production of regional jets in India
Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer expects production timelines for a potential India manufacturing programme to be shorter than the average of five to 10 years, Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation told businessline.
Such projects, which require a backward-integrated aerospace ecosystem, typically take up to five years to establish, followed by an additional five years before the first aircraft rolls out.
However, Meijer told businessline that Embraer does not intend to wait that long to bring locally-produced aircraft to the Indian market.
According to him, the country’s engineering and technical prowess ensure robust supply chain network for such a project.
Presently, Embraer is evaluating the possibility of establishing a final assembly line in India for the E175 E-Jet in partnership with Adani Defense & Aerospace.
The E175 has seating for up to 88 passengers and is designed to enable new routes, improved connectivity, reliable operations and accelerated expansion of regional air travel.
Accordingly, the proposal aligns with the Centre’s ‘Make in India’ initiative aimed at promoting domestic aerospace manufacturing and the regional transport aircraft (RTA) programme.
Import duty
Meijer, cited that the removal of import duty on aeronautical parts by the Centre as a positive development.
As per the budgetary proposals, the basic customs duty will be fully exempted on components and parts required for the manufacture of civilian, training and other aircraft.
The exemption applies across various aircraft categories and aligns with the government’s objective of promoting domestic manufacturing and strengthening the maintenance, repair and overhaul ecosystem.
Nevertheless, he noted that multiple structural and ecosystem-related factors would need to be assessed before firm investment decisions are taken.
Besides outlining the production outlook, Meijer cited an expected demand for up to 500 regional jets in India over the next 20 years.
Embraer has stated that an order for 200 aircraft from Indian airline customers will be a good starting point to establish any assembly line.
Aircraft orders
Nonetheless, the company declined to comment on potential aircraft orders from Indian airlines, stating that announcements would be made by the carriers at an appropriate time.
Meijer said that there are hundreds of underserved city pairs across the country that are considered too long for turboprop aircraft to operate cost-effectively and too thin in demand to support larger narrow-body aircraft.
He said that regional jets like E2s could address this segment of the market, particularly as India continues to expand air connectivity to tier-two and tier-three cities. Notably, Embraer said demand for both new and second-hand E-Jets remains strong globally.
In addition, Embraer maintained that its regional jets are suited for operations from smaller airports, including those with shorter runways.
Published on February 25, 2026