Embraer delivers new jet that Boeing may soon sell against Airbus

Embraer hopes to see more orders for its newest passenger plane by the end of the year, an executive said on Thursday, as Boeing readies to take over the Brazilian planemaker’s commercial jets division in what could mark the next phase of its rivalry with Airbus. Manufacture of the E195-E2, as Embraer’s plane is known, will soon be controlled by Boeing, which needs regulatory approval to close on the deal to buy 80% of Embraer’s commercial jets division for $4.2b. Embraer on Thursday delivered its first E195-E2 plane, which will seat about 140, to Brazil’s Azul at its headquarters in Sao Paulo state. Embraer executives said the delivery should spur more orders, helping to fend off fresh competition from Airbus. “I expect we will close more transactions, I’m hopeful ... before the end of the year,” said John Slattery, head of Embraer’s commercial plane division. “I’m not seeing a big wave of people that need to delay, or wish to delay because of the Boeing transaction.” The new plane comes as the landscape for jets with under 150 seats is changing drastically. Airbus bought control of the Bombardier division competing directly with Embraer in 2018, followed by Boeing’s deal to take over Embraer’s commercial plane division. The result would expand the global duopoly for jumbo jets into a smaller category, as Boeing and Airbus work to lure orders across a broader lineup of commercial aircraft.<br/>