With analysts predicting that Embraer could equal or even surpass Cessna as the world’s largest business jet maker by volume in the next few years, some are wondering how the market newcomer could have achieved such stunning success so swiftly without the assistance of its government. Among the most vocal is Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) who in a recent statement noted that Embraer now claims to have cornered approximately 14 percent of the worldwide market for business aircraft despite having entered the industry only in 2002. “This is an almost unbelievable feat for a company that has been manufacturing business aviation aircraft for a little over seven years,” Brownback wrote in a press release.
Calling for his colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee to request an inquiry by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) into business aviation industry competition in the U.S., China, Brazil, Canada and Europe, Brownback–a candidate for governor of Kansas in next month’s elections–offered a previous example as fuel for his suspicions. “Considering similar statistics from previous years that were later proved to be the result of illegal subsidization of aircraft from the European Union, Embraer’s activity does not seem possible without heavy and creative support across the board.”
