Embraer in China

On May 30, 2000, Embraer’s first representative office was opened in Beijing, a perfect finish to a series of events performed between May 12 and June 4 of that same year to mark the entry of the Company into the Chinese market. Among them, the highlight was the presentation campaign of the ERJ 145, its main commercial aircraft, in six cities – Urumqi, Chengdu, Kunming, Shenzen, Beijing and Shanghai.

On the same day of the office opening, representatives from China Aviation Suppliers Import and Export Corporation (CASC) and from Sichuan Airlines (SCAL) signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of five ERJ 145 regional jets.

On September 21, the first of five aircraft was delivered, marking the introduction of the model in Southeast Asia. Two other jets were delivered in November and December 2000 and the remaining ones in the following year.

During the 44th Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, on June 2001, Embraer announced the construction of a Spare Parts Distribution Center in Beijing, as part of a supply program to provide the best technical support to its clients.

With five employees and more than six thousand parts in stock, the Distribution Center started operations on March 4, 2002, in partnership with China Aviation Suppliers Import and Export Corporation (CASC), in a 750m² spaces on the Development Zone of Beijing International Airport.

On December 2, 2002, Embraer signed the contract, in Beijing, for the construction of an industrial unit in that country through a joint venture with Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co., Ltd. and Hafei Aviation Industry Co., Ltd., both controlled by China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II). The new company, called Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Company, Ltd. (HEAI), was formed with 51% controlling interest from Embraer and 49% from Chinese partners. Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry was acclaimed as Embraer’s first industrial venture outside Brazil, with the purpose of producing, developing and coordinating sales operations and post-sale support services for the ERJ 135 / 140 / 145 aircraft family. Also included in the contract was the manufacturing under license of all the versions of the family of regional jets.

With a total investment of USD 25 million, HEAI was installed in a 24000 m² area in the city of Harbin, capital of the Heilongjiang province. Initially, the production capacity was of one aircraft per month.

Em 2 de fevereiro de 2004 foi assinado o primeiro pedido de compra feito por uma companhia aérea chinesa à Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Company, Ltd. A China Southern Airlines, maior empresa aérea daquele país, adquiriu seis ERJ 145. A entrega das primeiras duas aeronaves ocorreu em 28 de junho daquele ano e as demais foram entregues até janeiro de 2005.

A Legend Development Co. Ltd., com sede em Macau e pertencente ao executivo Chow Kam Fai David, recebeu a sua aeronave Legacy Executive em 28 de setembro de 2004, tornando-se a primeira empresa a operar o modelo na Ásia. O evento de entrega aconteceu na sede da Embraer, em São José dos Campos.

On November 11, 2004, the President of the People’s Republic of China, Hu Jintao, landed on Brasília International Airport to return the visit made to his country by President Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, in May of that same year. Hu Jintao and his entourage, formed by approximately 300 Chinese businessmen, visited Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, São José dos Campos and São Paulo.

In São José, the Chinese President visited the facilities at INPE, the organ responsible for the development of Chinese-Brazilian satellites and for Embraer's development.

In 2006, the EMBRAER 190 went through various cities in North America, South America and Europe on demonstration events for eleven weeks. On the second fortnight in October of that year, a tour arrived in China at the cities of Beijing, Urumchi, Chengdu, Kunming, Shanghai and Haikou. Afterwards, still in Chinese territory, the aircraft was exhibited during the Zhuhai International Aerospace Exhibition.

EMBRAER 190's first contract of sale to a Chinese airline company was announced on August 30, 2006, even before the aircraft's demonstration tour in China, performed in October. The HNA Group purchased 50 EMBRAER 190, produced in Brazil, as well as 50 ERJ 145, produced by HEAI, in a commercial transaction worth USD 2.7 billion.

On the day it celebrated the seventh anniversary of the start of operations, Embraer's office in Beijing opened new facilities at China Central Place Office Building, a new development located in the Central Business District, east of downtown Beijing. At the time it registered a portfolio of 123 completed firm orders.

Between 2000 and 2007 the expansion of Embraer's presence in China, also represented by the Spare Parts Distribution Center and by HEAI, can be measured by the expressive rise in the number of employees: from only three, at the time of the opening of the representative office, to 230.

The first ERJ 145 delivered to Grand China Express, an HNA Group company – later called Tianjin Airlines – was the thousandth unit of the ERJ 145 family to be manufactured in the world.








The delivery ceremony happened on October 1st, 2007, at Harbin Embraer Aircraft Industry Co. Ltd. Facilities. At the time, Chen Feng, President of the HNA Group Management Council, stated that the purchase of the ERJ 145 aircraft was, among other factors, an initiative to support the development of the Chinese aeronautical industry and to develop commercial relations between Brazil and China.

The first delivery of an EMBRAER 190 to a Chinese company was made on May 20, 2008, in a ceremony performed in São José dos Campos. Grand China Express therefore became the client to launch the aircraft in Asia and the first E-Jet operator in Continental China.

At the end of 2009, topping off the work developed for almost a decade, Embraer reached a 52% market share in the Chinese regional market for aircraft of up to 120 seats.