New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Brazilian plane manufacturer Embraer sees a major opportunity in setting up a base in India for its smaller jets as the company tries to position itself as an alternative to aerospace giants Airbus and Boeing, with airlines looking to cut soaring fuel costs and increasing delays in delivery of aircraft from the world’s Big-2 plane makers, according to a report.

“The company is now placing particular focus on India and the Gulf, two markets where it sees major growth opportunities for smaller, fuel-efficient aircraft capable of serving secondary cities and thinner routes,” the report in Gulf News said.

At a media briefing in Sao Paulo, Embraer executives said discussions are progressing around a potential manufacturing and assembly presence in India.

Embraer has signed an MOU with Adani Defence and Aerospace and expanded a framework to establish a final assembly line for Embraer’s popular E-Jets in India.

“It’s the cooperation with the partner to set up the line. Secondly, we need to get the commitments from the airlines… and the third one is the discussions that we have collectively also with the government,” the report cited Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Arjan Meijer as saying.

Embraer is of the view that India’s next aviation growth phase will depend more on linking smaller cities across the country. India’s UDAN scheme for regional air connectivity has already made headway in this direction.

It said it sees strong potential for its E-jet family in the country, particularly in the 75-seat segment, as India continues to expand regional connectivity schemes.

“We know, and also India knows, that to develop a country from within… you need smaller aircraft to connect to secondary and tertiary cities,” Meijer said.

Embraer’s Defence and Security division and Mahindra Group have also partnered to produce the C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft locally in India.

The manufacturer has increasingly been highlighting how airlines can use smaller jets more efficiently instead of relying entirely on large narrowbody aircraft.

The report also highlights that apart from India, Embraer is also eyeing the Gulf market, although the company admitted it had previously been cautious because of engine performance concerns in hot weather conditions common across the Middle East.

Meijer said the company now believes those issues are being sorted out as its E2 planes are being used by some Middle East operators, such as Royal Jordanian.

He further stated that Embraer had deliberately been cautious while it took time to ensure the aircraft and engines were fully ready for the hot operating conditions in the Gulf countries.

–IANS

sps/vd