FBO Profile: Embraer Sorocaba

In April last year Embraer opened its FBO at Bertram Luiz Leupolz Airport in Sorocaba, Brazil, about an hour’s drive from São Paolo Guarulhos International Airport. It’s not uncommon for aircraft manufacturers to own FBOs, such as Gulfstream parent General Dynamics’s ownership of Jet Aviation or Dassault Falcon’s FBOs; but for Embraer, this facility is the first where its name graces a customer-facing FBO facility.

The Embraer FBO at Sorocaba is collocated with the company’s Executive Jets service center, with the FBO occupying one end of the hangar complex. It is responsible for half of the large hangar building and the MRO facility in its own half of the building. The total size of the $25 million facility is 215,278 sq ft (20,000 sq m).

The MRO side opened in November 2013, providing a convenient location for Brazilian operators of some 200 Embraer business jets. Embraer also operates a service center at its São José dos Campos headquarters.

Sorocaba has become the prime business aviation hub for São Paulo-bound traffic as space is limited at the city’s main airport, Guarulhos International, and at other airports in the city (Congonhas and Campo de Marte). Service centers for Gulfstream and Dassault Falcon are also located at Sorocaba, as are growing number of private hangars. The airport’s single north-south runway is 4,859 feet long.

Among the drawbacks to Sorocaba, which Embraer officials hope will be resolved soon, is its exclusion of traffic arriving from airports outside Brazil: it is not an international airport and has no customs and immigration facilities. Travelers inbound from foreign lands must therefore clear customs at an international airport in Brazil before flying to Sorocaba. The airport also has no instrument approaches, a shortfall that limits its utility when the weather is bad. A control tower is under construction, however, and IFR approaches will likely follow once it is operating.

Customer-centric Design

The designers of Embraer’s Sorocaba FBO spent nine months planning the facility, intent on making it appealing and comfortable. Part of this effort involved traveling to FBOs in the U.S. and Europe to solicit ideas and see best practices in action.

At the Sorocaba FBO, there are two entrances for customers. On the street-side entrance, a reception desk and lounge welcomes visitors. Customers move farther along a passageway adjacent to glass-faced walls that provide a clear view inside the FBO’s spotlessly clean hangar, then pass by a VIP lounge and the downstairs lavatories before arriving at the ramp-facing passenger lounge. The lavatories are located to match the normal passenger flow, either entering from the ramp after an inbound flight or just down the hallway from the street-side entrance.

The VIP lounge is outfitted with comfortable chairs, a small conference table, a television and a private lavatory. An outside door next to the driveway alongside the building allows VIPs to enter the lounge directly without having to pass through the reception area. Or a car or van can continue to the end of the driveway and drop passengers just inside a gate that opens onto the ramp. Brazilian rules strictly prohibit driving onto ramps, so passengers must exit the vehicle before it reaches a double yellow line painted on the ramp entrance. Line technicians can tow customer airplanes to the front of the FBO for boarding, and that is where arriving airplanes usually park.

On the second floor, primarily for flight crew and FBO managers, there’s a fully equipped conference room. In the crew rest area, pilots will find three comfortable lounge chairs, a large television, refrigerator and desk. The lavatory has a shower. The managers’ operations room on the second floor has windows with views of both the ramp and hangar.

Universal Aviation has an office in the FBO, and it is responsible for all ground-handling services for FBO customers, as well as concierge services such as arranging hotels and ground transportation. The FBO is open 24/7, and Universal personnel are on hand during the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on call at other times. Like other Brazilian general aviation facilities, Embraer’s FBO does not provide fuel, which must be purchased from suppliers on the airport.

Ten business aircraft are based at Embraer Sorocaba (not all of them Embraers), including the first Legacy 500 delivered. The company often stores pre-owned Embraer jets in the hangar as the Sorocaba FBO is an ideal spot for showing pre-owned jets and meeting with potential customers.

For many customers, Embraer’s Sorocaba FBO is their first introduction to the Embraer brand, no matter what type of aircraft they are operating. Collocation with the service center offers other benefits and spawned a new service that Embraer now offers: technical management, which helps customers take care of their jets, including overseeing maintenance and hangar storage, interior and exterior cleaning and ground handling.