Embraer Executive Jets of Brazil has launched production of its Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 jets at its newly expanded facility in Melbourne, Florida, in the US, where the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are already in production. 

The expansion, which adds 236,000 sq ft to its existing 213,000-sq-ft campus at Orlando-Melbourne International Airport, was inaugurated in the presence of Florida Governor Rick Scott, US Senator Bill Nelson, US Congressman Bill Posey, Florida, Brevard County and Melbourne officials.

“With the support of Governor 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. Over 170 Phenom jets, valued at over $1 billion, have been produced in Melbourne for US customers, mainly, as well as to customers in 14 other countries.

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

Governor Scott said: “I am proud to join Embraer in cutting the ribbon of their expanded aircraft assembly facility today. Two years ago we announced that Embraer had chosen Florida as the best location in the U.S. to manufacture their new aircraft. 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 Nelson. “That’s because Embraer recognised 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.”  

"It’s exciting to celebrate this ribbon cutting which commemorates a major expansion for Embraer and Brevard County's aerospace industry," said Posey.

“Embraer provides exciting visible confirmation that Orlando Melbourne International Airport provides an incredible platform from which to grow an international company.  We fulfill our promises.  We celebrate ‘team.’  It is fitting that the aircraft assembled here are named Legacy.  As they fly through international skies, Embraer Executive Jets that originated from Orlando Melbourne International Airport exemplify the legacy of our partnership of mutual respect:  Built on promises made, promises kept, and a team that strives daily to give our community the legacy of flight;  man-made and incredibly accomplished,” said Greg Donovan, Executive Director, Orlando Melbourne International Airport. 

“In 2008, at a time when companies were downsizing, it was Embraer who selected Brevard County for its first US manufacturing and customer design facility,” stated Lynda Weatherman, President and CEO of the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast. “Today, and 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 the first midsize business jets with digital flight controls, based on full fly-by-wire technology, featuring side-stick controls. The state-of-the-art Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite on four 15.1-inch 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.