Embraer to commence production of VLJ Phenom 100 next month
12 Mar 2008
Embraer will begin serial production of the Phenom 100 very light jet next month at its plant in Botucatu, Brazil. The facility's managing director, Almir Borges, has said that the Botucatu plant will turn out six Phenom 100s a month by the end of the year.
The plant will eventually produce 17 airplanes a month when it reaches maximum production capacity late next year.
Following certification, the São Jose dos Campos-based company expects to deliver as many as 15 Phenom 100s this year, and close to 170 next year.
A fourth Phenom 100 test aircraft is in the final stages of assembly and will soon be starting the required 600 hours of function and reliability testing.
Meanwhile, Embraer has also said that it is making progress on a larger derivative, the Phenom 300 light jet. The Phenom 100's larger sibling is slated to fly this summer, with certification following late next year.
