MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil clinches sale of 20 Embraer jets to Japan

“This will generate jobs and income. It will stimulate the economy,” Costa Filho stressed

During President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's visit to Japan, Embraer finalized the sale of 20 jets to All Nippon Airways (ANA), earning around R$10 billion (US$ 1.74 billion).

In addition, discussions advanced on ethanol-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which could benefit Brazilian agribusiness -particularly the country's sugar-energy industry- and the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, dubbed “flying cars,” which are expected to enter operation by 2027 through a joint venture between Embraer and Japanese companies.

The Brazilian delegation announced Wednesday the purchase by Japanese carrier All Nippon Aiways (ANA) of 20 E-190 aircraft. The company also intends to buy another five aircraft, it was explained.

Brazil's Minister of Ports and Airports Silvio Costa Filho said that the partnership with the Japanese will serve as a kind of seal for new sales to other countries, further expanding Embraer's business horizon.

“And with the sale of aircraft to international markets, we will need to prepare Brazilian labor, structuring our great plan to prepare our young people for this new job market that is emerging in Brazil, which is aviation,” he added. To this end, Brazil is already developing qualification and training programs for this job market, he further noted.

“This will generate jobs and income. It will stimulate the economy,” the minister also said, adding that all the Japanese companies he had spoken to had assured him that they would make Embraer a priority for their business.

Negotiations have also progressed with a view to the Japanese aviation sector adopting Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), an alternative to fossil-based aviation fuel. According to the Brazilian government, this fuel can be obtained from various sources. Among them, ethanol produced from sugar cane.

“SAF is a fuel that consists of ethanol. It is, therefore, significant for the Brazilian agribusiness industry. In addition, we are working alongside all the ministers in Japan, including the Prime Minister, to ensure that 10% of the fuel here in Japan is made from ethanol,” the Brazilian official also mentioned.

This fuel can also be obtained from agricultural waste, used cooking oil, fats, and corn, among others, pure or mixed, according to technical safety specifications. According to the Planalto, Brazil has “extensive expertise on the subject.”

“As well as boosting aviation fuel here in Japan, we will stimulate Brazil's sugar-energy industry, which is in dialogue with sustainability, through this fuel of the future that Brazil has presented to the world,” added the minister.

Also part of the Brazilian delegation, Embraer President Francisco Gomes Neto said that the Japanese were also interested in developing the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), a 100% electric vehicle known as a “flying car.”

“Our plan is for it to be in operation by the end of 2027. It's the vehicle of the future, a disruptive innovation, ideal for countries [and cities] with heavy traffic, such as Japan, São Paulo, Los Angeles or New York,” said Gomes Neto, explaining that the electric motors will be produced through a joint venture between Embraer and a Japanese company. (Source: Agencia Brasil)