By Gabriel Araujo
RIO DE JANEIRO, June 7 (Reuters) - Brazilian planemaker Embraer expects to eventually bring its E2 jets into China, seeing a role for the aircraft among the country's domestically developed models, a senior executive told Reuters on Sunday.
"We have a dedicated team in Beijing, they're day-to-day working in China," Embraer Commercial Aviation CEO Arjan Meijer said on the sidelines of a global gathering of top airline executives in Rio de Janeiro.
"We believe the E2 family is the ideal
complement to the indigenous products of China," he added.
Meijer said the E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets would fit between China's smaller C909 and the larger C919, offering airlines flexibility to connect cities across the country.
Embraer is in discussions with potential customers, the executive said, noting the E2 family has been certified by local authorities.
The Brazilian company has struggled to find new business in China since the 2016 closure of an executive jet joint venture in Harbin.
In 2023, it announced a deal to convert passenger jets into freighters in Lanzhou, disappointing some in the industry who had hoped for a deal for sales to an airline.
"China has its own challenges. So we're in discussions. We do believe we will find a moment to bring the E2 into China, but we'll have to give that some time. We're not there yet," Meijer said.
Separately, Meijer said Embraer was not yet ready to develop a larger aircraft despite growing customer interest.
The firm remains focused on its core segment of jets seating up to around 150 passengers, he said, where it competes with Airbus' A220 family, but standing below Airbus' and Boeing's best-selling A320 and 737 families.
"Our customers are asking for a bigger aircraft, it's no secret. But that's such a big decision for a company like Embraer. We're not there. We are currently very satisfied with the segment up to 150 seats," Meijer said.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Rio de Janeiro, editing by Manuela Andreoni)
