SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Embraer (Bovespa: EMBR3) today announced the sale of one Phenom 100 and one Phenom 300 jet to ABC Taxi Aereo, a subsidiary of the Algar Group in Brazil. This will be the launch charter customer for the Phenom jets in Latin America.
ABC Taxi Aereo has been an Embraer customer since 1978, as well as an authorized service center for Embraer turboprop aircraft. The Brazilian charter currently operates three Xingu airplanes, a pressurized cabin, twin-engine turboprop manufactured by Embraer. The acquisition of the Phenom jets will expand the company's fleet, with deliveries expected to occur in the first semester of 2009 and 2010, respectively.
"Based on our relationship built over the last 28 years, Embraer's quality has given us the confidence to choose the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300, which fit perfectly into this new expansion phase of the company in Brazil," said Rogerio Montalvao Elian, Director of ABC Taxi Aereo.
"Rooted in a culture of innovation, we are delighted to be the first Brazilian charter customer for the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300," said Luiz Alberto Garcia, Chairman of Algar Group. "These aircraft will be highly appreciated by our passengers for their elegant design and spacious and comfortable cabin. To us, this is the true meaning of customer focus."
"Embraer is honored by ABC Taxi Aereo's selection of the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 for its fleet expansion," said Luis Carlos Affonso, Executive Vice-President, Executive Jets. "The Phenom jets will prove to be a great profitability tool, having been designed for high utilization and low-cost operation without sacrificing performance or passenger comfort. We consider it a privilege to continue building upon our relationship with ABC Taxi Aereo, a successful one for nearly three decades."
Embraer's Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are a natural fit for the charter market in that they are designed for high utilization and high availability. Although business jets typically operate around 500 hours per year, the Phenom jets' design philosophy is the same as that of the ERJ 145 and EMBRAER 170/190 families of jets, which operate well over 2,000 hours per year.
The Phenom 100 full-scale mock-up will be on display at ABC Taxi Aereo's hangar from this Friday, August 18 through Monday, August 21. This event will celebrate the opening of the Phenom tour in Brazil, which will extend through September 25, covering five major cities across Brazil's Southeast and Midwest regions.
More information available at http://www.embraerexecutivejets.com/ .
The Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 Jets
The Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300 jets are best-in-class. Premium comfort, outstanding performance and low operating costs are key design drivers for these jets. Both aircraft will offer pilots and passengers the comfort and style unseen in their categories. The relaxing ambience is enhanced by the size of the generous windows and the most ample cabin in their class. Onboard conveniences include a wardrobe or refreshment center, an aft cabin private lavatory with toiletry cabinet, and satellite communications.
The pilot-friendly cockpit and the docile flying qualities of the two new aircraft will enable single-pilot operation. Drawing from Embraer's design and engineering heritage, the Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300 will be built for high utilization and availability. For added safety and reliability both jets will offer a standard brake-by-wire system with anti-skid capability.
Based upon Garmin's all-glass, fully integrated avionics suite, the Prodigy flight deck offers Phenom jet operators more advantages than any other avionics suite on today's market. The pilot-friendly cockpit features three interchangeable 12-inch displays -- two Primary Flight Displays (PFD) and one Multi-Function Display (MFD). The system integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, engine instrumentation and crew-alerting system data and presents the composite information in brilliant, sunlight-readable color on three high-definition displays.
The Phenom 100 will comfortably accommodate four passengers in a typical club configuration. The generous 55 cubic feet (1.56 cubic meters) total baggage capacity is big enough to store their luggage, golf bags and even skis.
The Phenom 100 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW617F engines with 1,615 pounds of thrust each. Its range with four occupants onboard will be 1,160 nautical miles (2,148 km or 1,335 miles) with NBAA IFR reserves, 35 minutes, and 100 nm alternate; or 1,320 nautical miles (2,445 km or 1,519 miles) with NBAA VFR reserves, 45 minutes. The Phenom 100 is capable of flying at 41,000 feet (12,497 m) with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.70 and is designed for short field takeoff performance. These characteristics will allow customers to fly nonstop from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Buenos Aires, Argentina; from Recife to Brasilia in Brazil; Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro; Caracas, Venezuela to Manaus, Brazil; Santiago, Chile to La Paz, Bolivia at a lower cost than competitive aircraft, including turboprops.
The Phenom 100 is priced at US$ 2.85 million in January 2005 economic conditions for FAA certification and is expected to enter service in mid-2008.
The Phenom 300 jet will be configured to accommodate up to nine occupants. Its large baggage capacity of 76 cubic feet (2.15 cubic meters) will conveniently transport passengers' luggage, golf bags and skis.
The Phenom 300 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW535E engines with 3,200 pounds of thrust each. Its range with six occupants onboard will be 1,800 nautical miles (3,334 km or 2,071 miles) with NBAA IFR reserves, 35 minutes and 100 nm alternate. The Phenom 300 is capable of flying at 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.78 and is also designed for short field takeoff performance. These capabilities will permit customers to fly nonstop from Sao Paulo to Manaus in Brazil or Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires to Salvador, Brazil or La Paz, Bolivia; Caracas, Venezuela to La Paz or Jacksonville, Florida or the Bermuda Islands at a lower cost than competitive aircraft.
The Phenom 300 is expected to enter service in mid-2009 and is priced at US$ 6.65 million, based on January 2005 economic conditions, for FAA certification.
About ABC Taxi Aereo
Founded in 1976, ABC Taxi Aereo is based in Brazil and is a subsidiary of the Algar Group, which has operations in telecom, agribusiness, tourism and infra-structure services. ABC Taxi Aereo is a traditional business aviation services provider, offering jet and turboprop maintenance, charter, light cargo, handling and parts retail, with bases in Uberlandia and Belo Horizonte, both in the State of Minas Gerais.
ABC Taxi Aereo operations cover all of Brazil and the company offers highly qualified maintenance services and exclusive representation for renowned aviation manufactures and parts suppliers.
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About Embraer
Embraer (Bovespa: EMBR3) (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A.) is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 110 seats, with 37 years of experience in designing, developing, manufacturing, selling and providing after-sales support to aircraft for the global Airline, Executive, and Defense and Government markets. With headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, state of Sao Paulo, the Company has offices and customer service bases in the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore. Embraer is among Brazil's leading exporting companies. As of June 30, 2006, Embraer had a total workforce of 17,538 people, and its firm order backlog totaled US$ 10.2 billion.
This document may contain projections, statements and estimates regarding circumstances or events yet to take place. Those projections and estimates are based largely on current expectations, forecasts on future events and financial tendencies that affect the Company's businesses. Those estimates are subject to risks, uncertainties and suppositions that include, among others: general economic, political and trade conditions in Brazil and in those markets where the Company does business; expectations on industry trends; the Company's investment plans; its capacity to develop and deliver products on the dates previously agreed upon, and existing and future governmental regulations. The words "believe," "may," "is able," "will be able," "intend," "continue," "anticipate," "expect" and other similar terms are supposed to identify potentialities. The Company does not feel compelled to publish updates nor to revise any estimates due to new information, future events or any other facts. In view of the inherent risks and uncertainties, such estimates, events and circumstances may not take place. The actual results can, therefore, differ substantially from those previously published as Company expectations.
