Embraer has opened its first aircraft final-assembly plant in Florida in preparation for beginning large-scale manufacture of its Phenom executive jet series in the US.

The new 743m² hangar and paintshop facility at Melbourne International Airport in Florida, US, will be used for production of Phenom 100 entry-level executive jet.

Embraer has also begun the second construction phase for its customer centre that will be used to custom-design interiors for Phenom, Legacy and Lineage executive jets.

The centre will be complete in the middle of 2011, according to australianaviation.com.au.