Jose Eduardo Gandara Costas - Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Asia Pacific, Embraer Executive Jets

Over the years, Aero India has grown in size and content. How do you perceive the show at this stage?

From the point of view of executive jets, we have participated in the last two shows. Although the main focus is defence and government, there is a growing interest for executive jets in India and the Aero India show has been quite important for us to be in.

What has been the level of participation of your company during the last seven air shows and especially this year?

As mentioned before, this is the second time we participated at Aero India. This time we had a significantly higher participation, bringing the Phenom 300 and the Lineage 1000 mock ups as well a very new Legacy 600 aircraft to the static display.

From the range of Embraer products exhibited at Aero India 2009, which ones in your view have relevance and market potential in the Asian and South East Asian regions?

Embraer has the vision to become one of the market leaders in executive aviation by 2015. We have consistently launched new products since the Legacy 600 super mid-size jet entry into service in 2002. We then launched the Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300 jets in 2005 (entry level jet and light jet, respectively), the Lineage 1000 Ultra Large Jet in 2006 and the Legacy 450 and 500 jets (mid-light and mid-size categories, respectively) in 2008. So, we have now a full product portfolio to offer, all of then bringing fundamental intrinsic characteristics that only a new design can bring today, using the best available technology. All these products have been designed to be the best in each class, providing premium comfort, lower direct operating costs and superior reliability. Asia has been a very special market for Embraer. We have 10 per cent of our Legacy 600 fleet flying in the region, we have a significant amount of customers on our firm backlog for all Embraer Executive Jets products and even in the difficult economic environment the whole world is going through we still see relevant growth in Asian countries and this is a key demand driver for our products.

What is your assessment of the potential market in India?

India represents to date about 40 per cent of Executive Jets sales in Asia. Brazil and Embraer have special links with India. All Embraer products are present in India. Successful airlines fly our E-Jets (Embraer 170/190 family) like Paramount and, soon, Star Aviation, the Indian Government flies five Legacy 600, we are now on the AEW programme and as mentioned before there are customers for all our Executive Jets models. So, all this achievements were only possible because India has given Embraer a lot of confidence and because we truly believe we have the right products to offer to our customers in India.

Has the global economic downturn had any effect on your aspirations in India?

To a certain extent yes, because as there is a high link between Business Jets demand and aspects like economic growth and corporate profits, we definitely can see some impact. However, even at the revised growth rates, it is very significant and the business people are consistently understanding the productivity and flexibility tool that a business jet is and not only the privacy or luxury component. Either in a growing economic scenario or in times when you need to review your overall business strategies, business people need mobility and flexibility. The most valuable asset they have is their time and they need to manage it properly. A business jet can prove to be an important tool to improve executives’ capabilities to manage their companies. Also important to mention is that even if big companies may think about not having a business jet anymore for cost reduction reasons, the need for mobility and flexibility will still be there and this represents an outstanding opportunity for entrepreneurs that want to provide a differentiated transportation service. This is just one example of opportunities that will exist even in an adverse economic scenario.

What is the nature and scope of business activity or transaction conducted during Aero India 2009?

We have experienced a great interest in our jets during Aero India. Some previous contacts (private companies and individuals) we have developed prior to Aero India had the opportunity to come and see the aircraft and mock ups, thus bringing the opportunity to make a more tangible assessment for the decision process, and some good new sales leads were definitely generated during the show.

To what extent are you satisfied with the outcome of your participation in Aero India 2009?

Aero India 2009 has brought to Embraer Executive Jets a unique opportunity to showcase our products and spark some new relationship and business opportunities. We were delighted to see the level of potential customers visiting us, as well as the media, pilots, operators, technical advisors, etc. We also noticed a high knowledge of the Indian public about Embraer. This was very nice to see and feel. In regards to the organisation, we have two suggestions. One is in regards to aircraft display location and access. Understanding that there is interest from Aero India to promote the Executive Jets business, it would be advisable to have access to the static display in a more convenient way, either putting the aircraft more to the centre of the display or having another access (for business visitors) closer to the place where the aircraft are to be parked. The second point for improvement would be to have some more access control during business days. This would make both exhibitors and potential business customers scheduling to be more effective. Other than that we see Aero India as a great opportunity to present ourselves and strengthen the relationship with one of the most important markets in Asia.