Brazilian aerospace and defense company Embraer established an Indian subsidiary based at the AeroCity hub in New Delhi late last month. According to Embraer, this strategic move underscores its long-term vision for growth and potential collaboration with India’s aerospace sector, including services and support as well as defense, commercial aviation, business aviation, and urban air mobility.
Embraer expects to expand its team across the country, building capacity to capitalize on opportunities there. This includes establishing teams across corporate functions and specialized cells focused on procurement, supply chain, and engineering, it said.
“India is a key market for Embraer, and this expansion demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the country,” said Embraer president and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto. “We are excited to deepen our collaboration with the Indian aerospace and defense industry, leveraging our expertise and technology to contribute to the nation’s growth and ‘Make in India’ campaign. We see significant opportunities.”
In India, the company has an established operator base with 50 Embraer aircraft spanning 11 airliner, business jet, and defense types based in the country. In fact, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Border Security Force operate Embraer Legacy 600s to transport government officials and VIPs. The air force also operates the Netra airborne early warning and control aircraft that are based on the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer’s ERJ-145 platform.
The announcement on May 30 builds upon recent strategic moves Embraer has made in India, including a February 2024 memorandum of understanding inked by Embraer Defense & Security and Mahindra Defence Systems to evaluate the opportunity to jointly pursue the IAF’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) program with the multi-mission Embraer C-390 Millennium airlifter. The C-390 can perform missions such as transporting and dropping cargo and troops, medical evacuation, search and rescue, humanitarian aid, firefighting, and air-to-air refueling both as a tanker and a receiver.
Meanwhile, Embraer said its E-Jets narrowbody family can bring “significant benefits” to India’s air connectivity by unlocking “blue ocean” opportunities found in tier two and tier three cities. It added that the airliners could also help to further India’s aspirations of becoming a leading global aviation hub.