Embraer abandons Saudi C-390 final-assembly proposal, pivots industrial offer to UAE

Embraer has abandoned a proposal to establish final assembly of its C-390 in Saudi Arabia and is shifting the industrial offer to the United Arab Emirates, CEO Bosco da Costa Jr. said, arguing “there is no way to have two completion centers in the region.”

Discovered 2025-11-18T14:18:27.857546-08:00 | 2025-11-18T14:18:27.857546-08:00

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The move reconfigures where Embraer expects regional industrial participation and local content for the C-390, coming as the programme is actively marketed in the Gulf — see its Dubai Airshow demonstrator bearing flags of ten prospective customers (https://hype.aero/?story=862122cc-6417-4be5-ba56-8407925c4f94).
It alters the competitive landscape for Gulf industrial partnerships and sovereign capability-building, following a wave of recent UAE aerospace MoUs and factory plans (https://hype.aero/?story=34308198-d2c6-4742-b8c4-643f2039a03c and https://hype.aero/?story=a9ade438-aa8d-4055-9613-e78070885f4d).
The decision affects Embraer’s production and export execution as the C-390 advances through programme milestones, including recent first-metal and production starts for European customers (https://hype.aero/?story=a97a4cc2-1364-4e5b-bd9e-6e781b98d9d4 and https://hype.aero/?story=248d399f-5ddb-4a2d-8370-bc4fca6d9d5e).

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