Dubai 2011: Embraer announces $2bn re-engining programme

Brazilian airframer Embraer will announce in Dubai today that it will launch a US$2 billion programme to re-engine – and maybe stretch – its popular Embraer 170 and 190 families of regional E-Jet airliners.

The move ends speculation that the company would launch a rival to the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX narrow-bodied airliners, in competition with the yet-to-be-flown Bombardier CSeries and Chinese C919 airframes.

Embraer will say today that its opportunity to launch a clean-sheet competitor in the 130-160 seat segment ended when Airbus and Boeing announced their own re-engining projects over the past year – but particularly when Boeing said that it would offer its B737 MAX from 2017.

An Embraer spokesperson said yesterday that now was not a good time to develop a new entrant in the commercial narrow-body field.

Embraer clearly believes that there is potential to stretch members of the E-Jet family up to around 130 seats, which could still impact the smaller Airbus variants and also the Canadian and Chinese narrow-bodies.

The engine choice hasn’t yet been made – although it’s believed that the current powerplant for the E-Jets – GE’s CF34 – will be replaced with a more modern, fuel-efficient and higher by-pass ratio turbofan engine.

The CF34 family of engines is now dated technology.

Should Embraer, as is almost certain, opt for a higher by-pass ratio, then the inevitably larger fan will result in the re-engined D-Jets requiring longer undercarriage legs.