Embraer has signed Flexjet as the fleet launch customer for the Praetor 500 and 600, building on 16 years of cooperation between the two companies. The announcement came at NBAA-BACE on Monday, October 21.
“[It’s] an enhanced and renewed opportunity for us to work long into the future, across all of our products,” said Michael Amalfitano, president and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets. The first delivery will take place with a Praetor 500 in about 3 to 4 weeks, and will total 64 aircraft at a 2019 cost of $1.4 billion. Michael Silvestro, CEO of Flexjet, indicated that the company was still determining what the mix would be between the new Praetor and the Phenom models that have been so successful at the fractional ownership program. “This is really a renewed commitment to a great partnership. Today we fly over 70 [Embraer] aircraft in the fleet…[the Legacy 450 has been] beating the [Cessna Citation] Latitude on almost every transaction where we go up against them,” said Silvestro, citing the combination of the aircraft’s capabilities and the service provided by Flexjet.
The Praetor 600 entered into service in June, going to a European customer. Those who wish to order one of the Praetor 600s would need to be a bit patient. Amalfitano said that the next configurable slot on the production line would be in August 2020. He also commented on the joint venture with Boeing, which proceeds on schedule that waits for progress navigating the EU’s antitrust protocols. Embraer celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout 2019.
