Brazil's Embraer spreads wings in China

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SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is expanding operations in China, one of the fastest growing aviation markets where the company is already active delivering orders secured earlier.

This month Embraer delivered the first of its E-190 jets to China's CDB Leasing Co., Ltd. at the company's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The aircraft will be operated by China Southern Air Holding Xinjiang Company, a branch of China Southern Airlines, which is the largest airline in China and the third in the world in terms of traffic volume.

CDB Leasing Co., also known as CLC, has ordered 30 Embraer E-190s, including 20 firm orders and 10 options, all of which will be operated by China Southern Airlines.

The E-190 seats up to 114 passengers in a four-abreast layout and has secured more than 1,000 firm orders from 60 airlines, with more than 750 aircraft in operation worldwide.

The aircraft, launched in 2004, is a larger version of the E-170 and E-175 family flying on a larger wing, bigger horizontal stabilizer and a new engine, the GE CF34-10E. The E-190 is in competition with the Bombardier CRJ-1000, smaller mainline jets including the Boeing 717-200, 737-500 and 737-600, the Airbus A318, and an upcoming Bombardier C series.

The aircraft will operate in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, which has developed its civil aviation industry in recent years and is rated as the center of one of China's most developed regional aviation networks.

Embraer plans to deliver another E-190 to the Chinese by the end of this year as part of an existing plan to develop Xinjiang capital Urumqi as a major aviation hub serving western China.

"This deal with CLC starts an important partnership for Embraer and will help to further expand our E-Jets fleet in the region," Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer's president for commercial aviation said.

Embraer has found an increasing number of markets for the E-190 in both industrialized and developing countries. The company has U.S. units in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Nashville; and Melbourne, Fla.; units or offices in France, Portugal and Singapore.

CDB Leasing President Yu Shunming said the Brazilian jet would "contribute to the market development of China Southern Airlines and the development of China's regional aviation."

The Embraer 190 went into operation in the Chinese market in 2008. About 40 of the jets are in service in the country. Embraer says it has an edge over conventional regional jets because of the aircraft's design and 2,400-mile range.