Embraer begins Legacy 450/500 production in Florida

 

Melbourne, Florida– Embraer Executive Jets began the production of its Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 in Melbourne, Florida, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 2, 2016, at its recently expanded facility, where the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are already in production. At the ceremony, which included Florida Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, U.S. Congressman Bill Posey, Florida, Brevard County, and Melbourne officials, the company celebrated this expansion, which adds 236,000ft² to its existing 213,000ft² campus at Orlando-Melbourne International Airport.

 

“With the support of Gov. Scott, and his team at Enterprise Florida, the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, Brevard County, the City of Melbourne, and the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport, we are doubling the size of our campus in Melbourne with the addition of the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 assembly lines,” said Marco Tulio Pellegrini, president and CEO, Embraer Executive Jets. “The growth of our partnerships is a reward for the community’s trust, and for its visionary leaders.”

 

The Melbourne production facility began operations in February 2011 and the first Phenom 100 was delivered in December of the same year. In August 2012, the Phenom 300 was added to the multi-model, paperless final assembly line. More than 170 Phenom jets, valued at over $1,000,000,000, have been produced in Melbourne for U.S. customers, mainly, as well as to customers in 14 other countries.

 

The new 236,000ft² facility features four new buildings: an assembly hangar, a paint facility, a completion center, a flight preparation facility, and a new delivery center. Embraer will add 600 new jobs to its almost 600 employees in the area, ramping up hiring through 2020. 

 

Gov. Scott said, “I am proud to join Embraer in cutting the ribbon of their expanded aircraft assembly facility today. Embraer already employs more than 1,000 Floridians and the addition of 600 new jobs is incredible news for Florida.”

 

“As Brevard continues to grow, it seems that Embraer continues to grow with it,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. “That’s because Embraer recognized nearly 40 years ago what others are just now realizing: that Florida’s Space Coast is special and the first-class workforce it offers makes it second to none for aerospace companies looking to set up shop.”

 

“In 2008, at a time when companies were downsizing, it was Embraer who selected Brevard County for its first U.S. manufacturing and customer design facility,” said Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast. “Eight years later we are not only celebrating Embraer’s third completed facility in Brevard County, but its significant role in elevating our status as a global leader in the aviation industry.”

 

The Legacy 500 and Legacy 450, which entered service in 2014 and 2015, respectively, are midsize business jets with digital flight controls, based on full fly-by-wire technology, featuring side-stick controls. The Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite on four 15.1" high-resolution LCD displays allows graphical flight planning and offers operators the advantages of paperless operations and autobrakes. The optional E2VS (Embraer Enhanced Vision System), which includes a Head-Up Display, provides a technological advantage typically only seen in much larger aircraft.