Embraer CEO questions Airbus' A380 superjumbo but would invest in A350Defesanet 25 Julho 2007
AP 16 Julho 2007
PARIS (AP) - Airbus may struggle to make money from its troubled superjumbo A380, the chief executive of Brazilian planemaker Embraer said.
But Frederico Fleury Curado expressed interest Friday in investing in another Airbus project, the A350 XWB.
Curado, whose company's jets are aimed at the regional market and seat up to 122 passengers, said the market for mass hub-to-hub transit is limited, as congestion at big hubs such as London Heathrow or Frankfurt turns passengers toward smaller airports.
"The flying experience through major hubs is becoming more and more difficult,'' he said in an interview in Paris, location of Embraer's European headquarters.
"How many A380s can you sell? Can you sell 200, can you sell 1,000? We see a few hundreds of airplanes so the question might be the return on investment.''
Boeing Co. projects much weaker demand for jumbo jets than Airbus, which has invested heavily in its 525-seat A380. That plane is scheduled to enter commercial service in October, after delays caused by production snags that wiped more than euro4.8 billion ($6.62 billion) off the company's profit forecast for 2006-2010.
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA has grown in recent years thanks to the success of regional jets. Its E-190 and E-195 jets bridge the gap between traditional smaller regional planes and the bigger planes produced by Boeing and Airbus.
Curado said
Embraer, the world's fourth largest aircraft manufacturer, could be interested in another Airbus plane: the A350 XWB.
Curado said
Embraer would be interested in a "risk-sharing partnership'' with Airbus on the A350 and has money to invest. He said there have been no concrete talks on the subject and he does not know whether Airbus would consider the Brazilian planemaker as a partner.
EADS is a former shareholder of Embraer and the two companies formed a consortium that controls OGMA or Industria Aeronautica de Portugal SA, one of the largest maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in Europe.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said he is seeking new industrial partners for Airbus.
At last month's Paris air show, Airbus took in 141 new firm orders for the A350-XWB, though that included conversions of orders for the earlier A350, which Airbus was forced to redesign - at great expense. The A380 fared less well at the air show, with just three new firm orders.
"
We believe the 350 will be a successful program,'' Curado said. "The orders are kind of stating that.''
Embraer has grown in recent years as the regional jet market increases and airlines seek roomier single-aisle planes.
Northwest Airlines Corp. is adding 72 new 76-seat jets through next year. Half will be Bombardier CRJ-900s and the other half will be Embraer 175s. Both include a dozen first-class seats, and the cabin is bigger than on Northwest's other regional jets.
Embraer plans to deliver between 165-170 planes this year increasing to 195-205 in 2008, and has a firm order backlog of $15 billion (euro10.88 billion).
Curado, who took over from Mauricio Botelho in April, says he wants to continue his predecessor's focus on the executive jet market, currently 16 percent of sales.
Embraer has one executive jet in production - the Legacy - with three more in development: the Phenom 100 and 300 jets and the Lineage 1000 ultra-large executive carrier. The Legacy 600 can seat up to 16 passengers in three seated sections and Embraer expects to deliver between 27 and 30 this year. The company delivered 27 in 2006.
Curado, who described himself as "shy'' and asked before removing his jacket, said he doesn't own his own jet. If he did he said he would pick the Legacy, which he would fit out with a cherry interior.
http://www.defesanet.com.br/zz/emb_ga_3.htm 
![[009]](./images/smilies/009.gif)
