EU: Embraer studies Turboprop in Boeing deal

Embraer, the world’s third-largest commercial aircraft producer and leader of the regional jets market is in “advanced stages of studying” a new model of passenger turboprop in cooperation with Boeing, stated Reuters Monday, January 20.

According to the global news agency, the size range of the aircraft would be similar or larger than that of the leading product of the market, the ATR 72, which carries about 70 passengers and the project is pending “corporate approvals.”

Embraer Commercial Aviation’s CEO John Slattery told Reuters the capacity of the new aircraft will naturally be just below that of the Embraer E2, which currently goes from 88 to 146 in a single-class configuration. “[The new project] sits in our target market, which we have always been clear is below 150 seats, and will have natural adjacency to the E2 offering.”

The aircraft, in this sense, will directly compete with ATR’s model 72-600, which can carry up to 78 passengers in a high-density configuration, and with the 90-seater Dash 8-400, now sold by De Havilland, from Canada.

Embraer is in “meaningful” discussions with General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney for the production of a new engine for the turboprop, the agency reported.