At the end of the 1980s, the global market showed the need for aircraft with an average number of 50 seats, and more advanced technology than the turboprops’. Due to this demand, in 1989 Embraer began to develop a 50-passenger jet aircraft. Also in that year, the EMB 145, the first jetliner to be produced by Embraer, was officially introduced during the Paris Air Show, with the promise of dominating the medium-sized aircraft sector in the decades to follow.

Despite the ambitious objective, the project was almost cast aside because of the crisis Embraer was going through. In 1991, however, the project was reactivated, and in the same year, studies to implement some changes were set in motion. The airplane was designed for high levels of landings and takeoffs, and for operating effectively on short runways.

As there was not enough capital to manufacture the aircraft, Embraer resorted to international partnerships in the form of risk sharing, where the partner companies assume the risk of supplying parts and make a profit only if the product is successful. Several major companies were interested in the aircraft, which allowed the continuation of the project.

The crisis situation led to the privatization of Embraer in 1994. With its new status, the Company changed direction and started up an intense process of internal restructuring, including the adoption of strategies aimed at new aviation niches in the market, and the EMB 145 became the great promise of the new phase of the Company. In the same year, the new aircraft began to be assembled, and in August 1995, it had its first official flight and rollout. The first unit in a series of pressurized jets for regional transport was delivered in 1996 to the North American company Continental Express. In 1998, the EMB 145 adopted the abbreviation ERJ 145 (for Embraer Regional Jet). In the same year, Embraer delivered the 50th ERJ 145. In 2002, Varig began to operate the ERJ 145 on the Rio de Janeiro– São Paulo shuttle flight, the most profitable trade route in the country. It was the first time that this route would have a national airplane.

In 1997, the manufacturing of the ERJ 145 was transferred to Botucatu, and the Company developed aircraft with similar features by using the “family” concept, a strategy of routine standardization that delivers benefits such as cost reduction in the development of new projects and maintenance.

In 2002, the Company opened its first plant overseas, in China, the result of a joint venture with Harbin Aircraft, for producing the ERJ 145 regional jet. The following year, the first Chinese ERJ 145 was produced.

The success of the ERJ 145 aircraft became the symbol of a new Embraer—guided by the integrated management of market intelligence, design, production and post-sales support—and placed it among the world's major companies in the sector.

In 2009, more than 1,100 aircraft based on this platform are flying under many different colors on all continents.

For more information about Embraer's commercial jets, visit:
Embraer Commercial Jets - ERJ 145

Product Name	ERJ 145
Family	ERJ 145/135/140
Market niche	Commercial Aviation
Start of the Project	1989
Maiden flight	1995
Rollout	1995
1st delivery	Continental Express / United States
Other references	In 2002 Varig was the first company to operate the São Paulo–Rio de Janeiro shuttle flight, the most desirable and profitable trade route in the country, with a national aircraft, the ERJ 145.
Certifications	CTA — November 29, 1996 FAA — December 10, 1996 EASA — May 27, 1997