“It’s not enough to think of sustainability as it had been in the past as a desire or some kind of noble cause – it’s a requirement and we have the responsibility and [incentive] to continue on this path,” said Michael Amalfitano, President and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets, during NBAA-BACE 2022. who flew with one engine burning pure SAF while the other used a mixture of 50% FAS.
Amalfitano said similar tests will be carried out using a Phenom light jet and a Praetor mid-size jet during the first quarter of next year. Earlier this year, the company signed a letter of intent with renewable fuel supplier Raizen to drive the development of the SAF production ecosystem. “We’re very integrated in the source part of the process so we can learn,” Amalfitano said, adding that the company’s aircraft contingent at the NBAA-BACE static display (Static AD_410) this week all rendered to the show using SAF. .
Meanwhile, business has been strong. Amalfitano noted that customers entering private aviation are about 20 years younger than before. With the aircraft maker’s backlog stretching into the fourth quarter of 2024 on its four models, he said supply chain issues now extend to raw materials.
“If I ordered something today in these categories it took 180 days, now it takes 540 days to get the same product from [supplier] to your shelves where you need them to build something or take care of a customer. As a result, the OEM is working on-site with its suppliers to tackle this paradigm and adopt leaner manufacturing methods.
Asked about the outlook for a global recession, Amalifitano replied, “It is already happening” and noted that inflationary increases in all aspects of production will eventually have to be passed through the value chain. He said the company has yet to see the results of this impact on its customers.
Meanwhile, Embraer announced Monday that it has entered into a $650 million revolving credit facility, the company’s first since 2010, that will bolster its liquidity for years to come.
At the show, the OEM also revealed that FlightSafety will produce a new full flight simulator for the Praetor 500 and 600 to meet the growing demand for training on these models. The aircraft, the third of its type produced by FlightSafety, will be located in Orlando, Florida, which hosts this year’s NBAA trade show and is less than an hour’s drive from Embraer’s US headquarters in Melbourne.
Embraer’s Services and Support division, which achieved the highest score in this year’s AIN Product Support Survey for aircraft, is highlighted during the show’s static display, with l one of its AOG rescue trucks on display.
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