SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian planemaker Embraer said on Tuesday it is considering establishing a final assembly line for its KC-390 military cargo aircraft in Poland, amid strong sales momentum for the plane in Europe.
Embraer sees the European Union as a key market for the KC-390, and the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Slovakia have all recently moved to purchase the aircraft, joining current operators Portugal and Hungary.
The company said in a statement it has been “looking at partners for parts manufacturing and for a potential final assembly line for the KC-390,” as CEO Francisco Gomes Neto visited Poland this week.
Embraer had previously nodded at potential production lines for the aircraft in the U.S. and India, as it seeks to expand the KC-390’s global footprint by boosting sales abroad.
The planemaker, which called Poland the “right strategic partner” to build military equipment, said the assembly line and associated after-market ecosystem could create around $1 billion in value and 600 local jobs.
Gomes Neto has engaged in Poland with existing, new and potential partners in manufacturing, final assembly, maintenance and repair, passenger-to-freight conversions, research and development and electric aircraft, the company said.
In addition to the KC-390 assembly line, other potential projects in Poland include the subassembly of structural parts for the E2 commercial jets, the conversion of E190 aircraft into freighters, and a landing gear overhaul facility.
The total package in commercial aviation could potentially translate into an investment worth more than $2 billion over 10 years and more than 4,400 jobs, Embraer said.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; editing by David Evans and Paul Simao)
