Embraer expects to select engine in Q4 for potential turboprop launch in 2023
2022.07.21 00:34
Signage for Embraer is seen on a trade pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
(Reuters) -The head of Embraer’s planemaking unit said on Wednesday it expects to select an engine in the fourth quarter for a potential new turboprop plane that the Brazilian company expects to launch in early to mid-2023.
Embraer Commercial Aviation Chief Executive Arjan Meijer said the company is talking to Raytheon Technologies (NYSE:RTX) unit Pratt & Whitney Canada and to Britain’s Rolls-Royce (L:RR) about engines for the project.
The third major engine maker in the market, General Electric (NYSE:GE) Co, is not offering an engine, he added in an interview.
GE was not immediately available for comment.
Meijer said Embraer has letters of intent for “250-plus” aircraft from a broad slate of regions and types of operator, adding: “I underline ‘plus’.”
Embraer has been discussing returning to the turboprop sector since 2017 as it looks to expand its portfolio.
It said in 2020 it could opt for a combination of industrial and financial backing, though some analysts expect a more traditional approach based on risk-sharing deals with suppliers.
Turboprops are said to be more efficient on shorter trips and are particularly attractive at a time of higher oil prices.
The market is currently dominated by Franco-Italian ATR, which has announced plans to switch to upgraded engines provided by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
Embraer, last year unveiled its concept for the turboprop featuring engines mounted at the rear of the aircraft, an unusual change from the more conventional wing-mounted engines.
