Embraer less affected by Pratt engine issues but not immune, executive says

An Embraer E195-E2 Profit Hunter plane is displayed at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, February 20, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su

By Brenda Goh

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Embraer is less affected than some other companies by issues with Pratt & Whitney engines but not immune, a senior executive at the Brazilian planemaker said on Tuesday.

Embraer has confidence in Pratt & Whitney, and they have a “close and connected relationship” that will help the parties work through the engine issues, Embraer Commercial Aviation Chief Commercial Officer Martyn Holmes said on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

“We are less affected, we’re not immune. We are less affected. And having been through these things in my own past on engines and stuff I have to say I think Pratt & Whitney are managing this well,” he told reporters.

Customers he had spoken with over the last couple of months had complimented Pratt & Whitney on their engagement, he added.

“What we’re seeing is that Pratt & Whitney have a clear line of sight… Pratt & Whitney have rolled their sleeves up, they’re talking to customers, they’re working solutions,” he said.

Holmes’ comments reiterated confidence Embraer expressed in May for the U.S. engine maker when it said saw no sales impact from Pratt & Whitney’s issues. At the time, Embraer said it had experienced only a quarter of the problems seen elsewhere, with 12 of its planes grounded.

RTX subsidiary Pratt & Whitney’s GTF engines, which are used on Embraer E2, Airbus A220 and Airbus A320 family jets, are subject to an inspection drive to check for potentially flawed components that have forced airlines to temporary ground planes and cancel flights.

Embraer makes commercial planes, business jets and military aircraft, and is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats.

Its E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets received type certification by China’s aviation regulator in 2022 and 2023. Embraer’s CEO said they were “working very hard” to win orders in the country, where it has struggled to find new business since the 2016 closure of a joint venture.

“In China we are working on three fronts: we are working with potential customers to sell some E2s, we are working with potential partners and we’re working with government authorities,” Francisco Gomes Neto said.

At the air show, the company also announced it had signed a contract with Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, for a spare parts inventory management programme designed to help customers reduce operational costs by optimising inventory levels.

(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Writing by Jamie Freed. Editing by Gerry Doyle)