Aircraft
Program Update: Phenom 300 on track for 4th-quarter certification
Amid the debris of an international economic slump and financial crisis, Brazilian business jet manufacturer Embraer is just weeks away from certification

Amid the debris of an international economic slump and financial crisis, Brazilian business jet manufacturer Embraer is just weeks away from certification and initial deliveries of its new Phenom 300 small-cabin light jet.

Asked at the Latin American Business Aviation Association Conference & Exhibition (LABACE) in August whether he would care to offer a more exact date for certification than “before the end of the year,” Embraer Executive Jets executive v-p Luis Carlos Affonso politely declined. “We’ve been saying the last half of 2009 all along and we’re comfortable with that,” he said with a broad smile, adding that the company expects to deliver one or two before the end of the year.