By Tim Hepher
LISBON (Reuters) – Brazil’s Embraer voiced “full support” for Pratt & Whitney as it battles durability problems on its latest jet engines, but said a separate business tussle with engine makers had forced it to suspend plans for a new turboprop plane.
Chief Executive Francisco Gomes Neto told reporters that Raytheon Technologies unit Pratt & Whitney was working hard to overcome premature wear problems grounding some jets.
“I am personally involved in this; we recently visited them… We believe they have the competence to resolve the problems,” Gomes Neto told a media briefing in Portugal, adding that Embraer jets had been less affected than other models.
The world’s third-largest planemaker uses Pratt Whitney’s Geared Turbofan engines on its latest E2 series of jets.
Similar engines are available on the larger Airbus A320neo family and are at the centre of a dispute between Pratt and India’s GoFirst over the cause of the airline’s bankruptcy.
Gomes Neto said Embraer was involved in ongoing campaigns for potential commercial jet sales covering a total of more than 200 airplanes, which he said would support a goal of restoring annual jet deliveries to 100 a year within 3-4 years.
Speaking at an annual media event, he also confirmed that the company’s plans for a new turboprop aircraft were “on hold” and blamed a lack of attractive business offers from engine makers.
“We have not yet found the right engine solution,” he said.
Pratt & Whitney Canada is the sole provider of engines for current turboprops, which are used for short regional routes.
General Electric has declined to participate in the project, leaving Pratt & Whitney Canada or Rolls-Royce.
Chief Financial Officer Antonio Carlos Garcia said Embraer could have built a new turboprop alone but would not have made a big enough difference compared to existing models. Embraer would still need a partner for a more game-changing design, he added.
The market for roughly 50-70-seat turboprops is dominated by Franco-Italian firm ATR, owned by Airbus and Leonardo.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; editing by Jan Harvey and Jason Neely)
