TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil Receives FAA Certification for Heavy Maintenance on the New EMBRAER 170 and EMBRAER 190 E-Jets

Rio de Janeiro, November 30, 2009. Already the holder of numerous certifications from the world’s main aviation agencies for heavy maintenance and component overhaul of the three principal airplane manufacturers – Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer – TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil has now received, last week, another important certification that expands the Company’s business scope: the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification for the new Embraer’s E-Jets, EMBRAER 170 and EMBRAER 190 family.

With its emphasis on full customer satisfaction, TAP M&E Brazil increasingly invests in the technical growth of its personnel and in developing its capacity for handling both aircraft and components, in order to better serve its customers. In October, the Company was also certified by the Brazilian agency (ANAC - National Civil Aviation Agency ) for this same Embraer’s fleet and due to the bilateral agreement that ANAC has with Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), TAP M&E Brazil is automatically approved to perform maintenance on airplanes registered in Canada.

The market for these Embraer jets is highly potential to TAP M&E Brazil. Besides the Brazilian companies that operate these aircraft, such South American countries as Argentina and Colombia, for example, have also made orders. Embraer, besides its own Service Center in Brazil, also has a network of Authorized Service Centers, worldwide, which are able to handle all planned maintenance activities, as well as component and accessory repairs.

TAP M&E Brazil has already had the new Embraer jets in its hangars, when it painted two Embraer 190s belonging to Azul Linhas Aéreas, at the end of 2008, and it signed a General Terms Agreement (GTA) with the airline, thus showing its intention to be responsible for the general maintenance of its fleet. TAP M&E Brazil has been certified for performing maintenance on Embraer’s EMB 120, ERJ 135, ERJ 145, and Legacy models for a long time.

Investing in personnel growth and training continues to be part of TAP M&E Brazil’s development strategy, says Company President Eng. Nestor Mauro Koch: “TAP M&E Brazil is the only fully capacitated independent MRO provider in Latin America, that is, we are certified to perform maintenance on aircraft and components for the entire Boeing family, all Embraer models, and in various Airbus models. We will continue investing in our Company’s development, involving technological and process improvements, personnel training, and certifications, in order to maintain the same level of quality that we offer the market, and gain even greater confidence from our clients.”