Boeing terminates joint ventures with Embraer

On Saturday, April 25, 2020, Boeing officials announced that the company has terminated its Master Transaction Agreement (MTA) with Embraer, under which the two companies had planned to create a joint venture comprising Embraer's commercial aviation business and a second joint venture to develop new markets for the C-390 Millennium medium airlift and air mobility aircraft.

Under the MTA, April 24, 2020, was the initial termination date, subject to extension by either party if certain conditions were met. The company’s press release stated, “Boeing exercised its rights to terminate after Embraer did not satisfy the necessary conditions.”

Marc Allen, president of Boeing’s Embraer Partnership & Group Operations, said, “Boeing has worked diligently over more than two years to finalize its transaction with Embraer. Over the past several months, we had productive but ultimately unsuccessful negotiations about unsatisfied MTA conditions. We all aimed to resolve those by the initial termination date, but it didn't happen. It is deeply disappointing. But we have reached a point where continued negotiation within the framework of the MTA is not going to resolve the outstanding issues.”

Upon receiving Boeing's notice of termination of the MTA, Embraer officials released a statement that said, “Embraer believes strongly that Boeing has wrongfully terminated the MTA, that it has manufactured false claims as a pretext to seek to avoid its commitments to close the transaction and pay Embraer the $4.2 billion purchase price. We believe Boeing has engaged in a systematic pattern of delay and repeated violations of the MTA, because of its unwillingness to complete the transaction in light of its own financial condition and 737 MAX and other business and reputational problems. Embraer believes it is in full compliance with its obligations under the MTA and that it has satisfied all conditions required to be accomplished by April 24, 2020.”

The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer further announced, “Embraer will pursue all remedies against Boeing for the damages incurred by Embraer as a result of Boeing's wrongful termination and violation of the MTA.”

The planned partnership between Boeing and Embraer had received unconditional approval from all necessary regulatory authorities, except for the European Commission.

Boeing and Embraer will maintain their existing Master Teaming Agreement, originally signed in 2012 and expanded in 2016, to jointly market and support the C-390 Millennium military aircraft, according to Boeing’s press release.