Brazil's Embraer to Build 2 New Executive Jets

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, or Embraer, plans to build two new executive jets and probably will unveil them this year, Chief Executive Mauricio Botelho told the local Estado newswire Thursday.

The two planes will compete with the mid-light and mid-size jets of Bombardier Inc. and Textron Inc., Embraer officials told journalists at the company's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, 55 miles east of Sao Paulo.

The planes will have a capacity of eight to 11 passengers, between the Phenom 300 and Legacy 600 in Embraer's executive jet range.

Embraer has grown by selling regional jets, as airlines use more smaller planes for short-haul flights. But the company has successfully diversified into the executive jet market, and its Phenom and Legacy jets have proved popular.

Embraer hopes the executive jet section will account for 20 percent of revenue within the next five to 10 years, up from 15 percent in 2006, said Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer vice president for the executive jet market.

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