Embraer’s Commercial Backlog Soars as E-Jet Output Climbs

With Embraer’s aircraft backlog standing at an all-time high, the Brazilian OEM is confident that measures introduced to increase production capacity over the last three years will continue to prove profitable. Indeed, with Embraer having increased its revenues by an average of $1 billion a year during this time frame, “this is based on more deliveries and more production of aircraft, despite all the difficulties we have seen in the supply chain,” confirmed president and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto.

Speaking at a recent media day in São Paulo, Brazil, Gomes Neto explained his expectation for “substantial midterm growth,” which he believes will propel Embraer toward a worth of double-digit billions before 2030. With a backlog “very well balanced” across its business units—totaling $32 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2026, not including the UAE’s recent 10 firm KC-390 or Azorra’s additional 15 E2 aircraft—“this backlog gives us confidence that we are on the right path for sustainable growth,” he suggested. About $15 billion of this backlog represents the E-Jet family.

Embraer’s total of 78 commercial aircraft delivered in 2025 stands in stark contrast to the 44 shipped in 2020. However, despite ubiquitous supply-chain headaches and customer uncertainty post-pandemic, Embraer’s efforts to increase capacity and streamline production processes appear to be working. “We have been able, despite the difficulties, to increase production a lot, and we are seeing a reduction in the shortage of parts as well,” explained Gomes Neto.

He attributed this uptick in productivity to a focused increase in both capacity and efficiency on the hybrid E-Jet production line. The 2025 additions of a new paint booth center, expanded final assembly, and flight preparation hangar are augmented by Embraer’s collaborative approach to its suppliers, which he said seeks to “understand the main issues in the supplier’s lines” and help align priorities. A partnership initiated with Toyota three years ago has also helped cut E-Jet production times by 28% since 2021, down from around 15 to 11 months. (Executive jets have fared even better, down by 45%.)

Full-year 2026 guidance of 80 to 85 commercial deliveries is “well above the industry average,” suggested Rodrigo Silva e Souza, v-p of marketing for commercial aviation at Embraer. However, the timing of the aircraft's delivery is also significant, with 2025 seeing a huge spike in the fourth quarter, representing 41% of overall annual output.

While this year is showing “a challenging Q1 but a better distribution,” Gomes Neto is “very optimistic” that Embraer will achieve a far more balanced 2027, with more or less evenly distributed deliveries for all but January and December.

E-Jet Engines and Market Demand 

Silva e Souza said that the E195-E2 family—which sold more than 200 units in 2025—has now reached a 76% market share against its rival, the narrowbody Airbus A220. This “new rate of customer-based growth” has been rising since 2022, he explained, referencing 24 airline customers in 23 countries as of March 2026. “If ever there were questions about the Embraer ability to compete against the A220, I think the question has been answered,” he said. Embraer also cites the E2’s current reliability as 99.5%, marginally up from its entry into service, and that of its competitor.

Although E2 customers were also negatively impacted by the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine powder-metal quality issues—something that affects the A220 and A320neo family—Embraer believes this is all but over. While aircraft-on-ground events steadily rose from 7% of the E2 fleet in December 2023 to a peak of 22% in March 2025, only two aircraft are currently out of service due to GTF-related issues. “Pratt & Whitney has done a very good job of addressing the turnaround time of the MRO,” said Silva e Souza.

Portuguese aerospace MRO provider OGMA (of which Embraer holds a 65% stake) is also ramping up its engine MRO capacity. “We have been surprised about how fast we can gain momentum when we compare the quantity of engines we are adding,” said Carlos Naufel, president and CEO, Embraer Services and Support. By 2030, OGMA plans to receive around 200 engines annually. While its yearly revenues are set to triple, Naufel believes the GTF remains “a greater contributor” compared to other activities.

Geopolitical tensions may be helping drive demand for the E-Jet family. Embraer estimates that while mainline U.S. carriers had been growing one percentage point in scheduled domestic capacity year over year in January and February 2026, the Middle Eastern conflict has shifted the focus toward regional rather than mainline demand. In May, regional growth jumped 7%. Additionally, larger U.S. carriers are now “reviewing what they can do differently, and one possible solution is to go with an aircraft the size of the E2,” added Silva e Souza. Amid this softening of demand and lower economic growth projection, smaller aircraft such as the E175 are “helping an airline to keep a network,” he added.

Looking to the future, Finnair’s March 2026 selection of up to 46 E195-E2s is set to begin deliveries in the second half of 2027. Azorra’s additional firm order of 15 units, announced in June, marks the third increase to its original 2021 E2 order, increasing the lessor’s total aircraft from 39 to 54. Nevertheless, Naufel cautioned that the supply chain still remains the number one potentially disruptive factor. “It’s still a concern, and something we need to be careful with,” he concluded.