Flight International - August 18, 2015

SHOW

REPORT

24 | Flight International | 18-31 August 2015 flightglobal.com

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Keep up with the latest news and read

in-depth analysis from the business

aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav

Sometimes the show, as they say, simply must go on.

This is not a great year to hold a business jet

exhibition in São Paulo, with the Brazilian economy in

a politically-induced crisis. A market that once reliably

grew at rates above 6% annually cooled last year to

3%, and may struggle to stay in positive territory in

2016. But a visibly reduced crowd came to the Latin
      American Business Aviation Convention and
      Exhibition (LABACE) anyway, perhaps seeking an
      opportunity to be ready when the market eventually
      rebounds. Report by Stephen Trimble

A

n ATR 72-500 turboprop
made arguably the most un-
likely debut among the business
jets at LABACE, with the VIP-
roled model intended to spot-
light an aspiring new charter
company and regional airline.
Rio de Janeiro-based Star Con-
sultoria Aeronautica –  ATR’s
sales agent in Brazil –  plans to
launch a start-up regional carrier
called Flyways Linhas Aereas,
initially operating routes from
the city’s two airports to Brasilia
and Minas Gerais.
The carrier could be activated
within weeks, says Pedro Paulo

Valverde Pedrosa Junior, a direc-

tor at Star. By the end of 2016,

Flyways hopes to operate up to

10 used ATR 72-500s or -600s

covering an expanding regional

network.

The ATR 72-500 on show can

be configured with 48 or 72

seats for charter, and since the

launch of the operation earlier

this year has flown several of

Brazil’s biggest football teams

and rock bands.

“Other companies in Brazil

are so big,” Pedrosa Junior says.

“They can’t offer something dif-

ferent to the client.” ■

START-UP

Regional ATR carrier has

ambitious plans to grow

PROGRAMMES

Legacy 450 gets

certification nod

Approval marks last service entry from Embraer’s business

jet push, as weak economic conditions hinder sales efforts

B

razil’s civil aeronautics au-

thority (ANAC) on 11 August

announced the approval of type

certification for the Legacy 450,

ushering into service the seventh

and last jet in a market-bending,

15-year-long Embraer quest to be-

come a powerhouse in the busi-

ness aviation market.

The Legacy 450 follows by one

year the introduction of its slightly

larger and longer-range sibling,

the Legacy 500, as well as the Lin-

eage 1000, Legacy 650 and 600

and the Phenom 300 and 100 jets.

From having no position in

the business aviation market 15

years ago, Embraer now occu-

pies seven of eight major market

segments, ranging from the en-

try-level Phenom 100 to the air-

liner-derived Lineage.

The Legacy 450 fills a critical

gap that bridges the size normally

found in the super-light category

and performance usually associ-

ated with midsize jets. It will

compete against the Cessna Cita-

tion Latitude, which achieved

certification from the US Federal

Aviation Administration two

months ago.

The type certificate for the Leg-

acy 450 was granted after ANAC

verified 1,600 requirements in

ground and flight tests. Embraer’s

newest jet also benefited from the

previous type approval for the

Legacy 500, which verified 7,500

test points, Dino Ishikura, head of

ANAC’s airworthiness depart-

ment, said at the show.

The Legacy 450 and Legacy

500 have both entered the pro-

duction phase amidst a global

softening of sales in the midsize

segment. Embraer’s timing also

coincides with an unfolding eco-

nomic crisis in Brazil, where both

types are expected to compete

especially well against rivals.

LIMITED MARKET

In late July, Embraer announced

only five Legacy 500s had been de-

livered in the first half of 2015. The

company had planned to ramp up

slowly to incorporate reliability

improvements, but the market’s

softness also has limited sales.

“2015 was not as good a year

as we thought,” Embraer execu-

tive jets president and chief exec-

utive Marco Tulio Pellegrini tells

Flight International.

But Embraer expects a “hot sec-

ond semester” for aircraft deliver-

ies, Pelligrini adds, and much bet-

ter conditions in 2016.

Embraer plans to obtain type

certificates for the Legacy 450 from

the US Federal Aviation Adminis-

tration and the European Aviation

Safety Agency within a few weeks,

followed by a first customer deliv-

ery during the fourth quarter. ■

Deliveries of the Legacy 450 will start later this year

Stephen Trimble/Flightglobal

Stephen Trimble/Flightglobal

LABACE 2015