Aircraft
Will Embraer Go Big by Developing a Large Narrowbody Jet?
Industry experts privately debate whether the Brazilian airframer can take the risk
Embraer E195-E2 aircraft
Embraer's "Profit Hunter" E195-E2 on static display at the 2025 Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. © AIN/David McIntosh

Whether Embraer’s positive momentum coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic culminates in the launch of a new narrowbody program to compete with the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max airliners is a major question looming over commercial aerospace.

Embraer has downplayed this possibility for years, though executives have welcomed the perception that the Brazilian airframer is capable of designing, developing and producing a large single-aisle aircraft to challenge the airframer duopoly's core products. The most common fallback line has been that Embraer is focused on selling the E195-E2, its largest commercial jet to date. Company leadership has not provided a strong signal whether Embraer’s next clean-sheet aircraft will be a business jet or a new, highly ambitious airliner.

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