Embraer’s business jet shipments improved in the second quarter to 33 aircraft, but deliveries through the first half remain behind those in 2014. A strong Paris Air Show, meanwhile, helped push the company’s backlog to its highest level in company history.
Embraer delivered 26 Phenoms in the second quarter, up from 22 in the same period of 2014. Phenom 100 deliveries were flat at six, but Phenom 300 shipments increased from 16 in the second quarter of 2014 to 20 in the most recent quarter. Large-aircraft shipments also remained flat at seven in both the most recent quarter and in 2014’s second quarter, but the mix was different with Legacy 500 shipments now ongoing. The Legacy 500 accounted for three deliveries in the second quarter this year. Embraer also handed over three Legacy 650s in the second quarter of 2015, down from six a year earlier, and one Lineage 1000, the same as a year earlier.
The improved deliveries in the just-ended quarter helped offset the softer first quarter. But deliveries through the first half are still down by four units (three Phenoms and one large jet). Backlog, however, grew to a record $22.9 billion by the end of the most recent quarter, up from $20.4 billion at the end of March and $18.1 billion a year earlier. Embraer had announced $2.6 billion in firm orders during the Paris Air Show, primarily for its commercial aircraft lines. In May, Flexjet announced it is purchasing an unspecified number of Legacy 450s and 500s.