By Allison Lampert, Tim Hepher and Gabriel Araujo
(Reuters) -Embraer said on Thursday it would announce what it described as a "milestone" for the Brazilian planemaker in Washington next week, the latest sign of aerospace companies seeking to underscore economic ties with the U.S.
The September 10 announcement will coincide with a major gathering of aerospace leaders. Embraer, the world's third largest planemaker, has been lobbying President Donald Trump's administration to remove 10% tariffs on its
jets, while highlighting the reliance of U.S. airlines on its regional jets.
Embraer, which assembles some business jets in Florida, declined further comment on the planned announcement but industry sources said they expected it to focus at least partly on boosting U.S. jobs and connectivity from its commercial jets.
U.S. clients buy 45% of Embraer's commercial airliners and 70% of its executive jets, all of which rely on many U.S. parts.
Embraer has no immediate plans to launch a new model of jet, several industry sources said, even though the manufacturer has floated the possibility of mounting a new challenge to Airbus and Boeing and an upcoming competitor from China.
It remained unclear what other topics may be included in the announcement, which Embraer claimed would be "the first of its kind ever made in the United States".
Industry watchers say there has been a shift among aerospace companies toward making high-profile announcements such as industrial decisions or plane orders in Washington to try to soften the impact of Trump's "America First" policies.
In recent months, Embraer has urged Washington to drop its tariffs by touting the company's ties with the U.S., including its 3,000 employees in the country, and plans to purchase $21 billion worth of U.S. products by 2030.
Embraer avoided a major setback in July, when Trump exempted aircraft from a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, but it still faces a 10% duty.
Its E175-E1 airliner is key to regional routes in the U.S. The U.S. is also the No. 1 market for its business jets.
Embraer has assembly lines for some executive jets in Florida and said last month it could build a $500-million plant for its C-390 airlifter in the country, should the U.S. decide to purchase the military jet.
Domestic and foreign aerospace firms have been promoting investments in the U.S., though analysts have noted that some newly announced measures were already in the pipeline.
Airbus, whose chief executive will also be in Washington next week, is expected to inaugurate a new U.S. assembly line in Mobile, Alabama, as early next month, ahead of the planned inauguration of a second assembly line in China around the end of the year.
(Reporting by Allison Lampert, Tim Hepher, David Shepardson, Gabriel Araujo, Writing by Tim Hepher; Editing by Susan Fenton and David Gregorio)
