Embraer Legacy assembly

Embraer has broken ground on a new assembly plant in Melbourne, Florida, US, for its Legacy 500 and Legacy 450 aircraft.

The 236,000ft² assembly plant complements the company’s facility at Melbourne International Airport.

Scheduled to commence operations by 2016, the complex will house an assembly hangar, a paint facility, a completion centre, flight preparation facility and a delivery centre.

Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Marco Tulio Pellegrini said: "Surpassing all original expectations during certification tests, the clean sheet design Legacy 500 and Legacy 450 represent a new, game changing generation of business aircraft.

"With this state-of-art facility at the heart of an important aeronautical centre in the region and the engagement of all stakeholders, we are very confident in the future of these programmes."

With this project, the company is doubling the size of its Executive Jets campus in the US.

Embraer will support the region with 600 new jobs over a four-year period beginning 2016.

Enterprise Florida commerce secretary, president and CEO Gray Swoope said: "This expansion is a testament to the state’s business climate and location as a global leader in aviation.

"This highly sought after expansion is especially important as it will create additional opportunities for suppliers in the aerospace and aviation industry."

Image: Officials at the ground breaking ceremony of Embraer’s Legacy assembly plant in Florida. Photo: courtesy of Embraer SA.

Defence Technology