Dubai: Aircraft manufacturers Embraer and ATR are confident they can take a sizeable share of the Middle East single aisle, narrow body aircraft market that is dominated regionally — and globally — by Boeing Co. and Airbus Group.
Embraer see’s as many as 210 aircraft sales in the region over the next 20 years, Raul Villaron, Embraer’s Marketing Director for commercial aviation in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Central Asia, told Gulf News at the Middle East & Africa Airfinance Conference in Dubai on Wednesday.
Some of these orders will be for new models replacing existing Embraer aircraft operated by Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), EgyptAir Express, Royal Jordanian and Oman Air. This represents around 38 aircraft; however, Oman Air announced this year it plans to phase out its Embraer fleet.
“This segment is important. Airlines cannot just get rid of this segment. They need to feed their hubs,” Villaron said, adding that “a few orders” are expected in the coming months and that there could be an announcement at the Dubai Airshow in November.
Embraer is confident of booking the 210 orders “in the long term,” believing many can come from low cost airlines, including flydubai, Air Arabia and Jazeera Airways.
Villaron said Embraer is trying to “break the paradigm” that low cost airlines should operate with a single manufacturer fleet and will look to sell its 132 seat E195-E2, which starts delivery in 2019, to the region. Flydubai’s operates a fleet of Boeing 737s while Air Arabia and Jazeera Airways fly the Airbus A320.
ATR is also bullish on Middle East sales, however, Milco Rappuouli, the French-Italian turboprop manufacturer’s Sales Director for the Middle East and Africa was more reserved, declining to state a sales outlook figure.
ATR is watching Iraq, Jordan and North Africa closely. It lost a tender to Embraer for the EgyptAir Express fleet around a decade ago but still see’s appetite in the market.
“Egypt would be a sweet spot,” he said.
ATR sold 20 aircraft on firm order to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) and rights for a further 20 in 2014. But Rappuouli said regional growth will be “driven by operators” and arguing the turboprops make a good business argument for Air Arabia Maroc and Air Arabia Jordan.
