Embraer Delivered 25 Planes in First Quarter of 2007

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer said on Monday it delivered 25 planes in the first quarter, down from 27 in the year-earlier period. Embraer said it still expects to deliver between 165 and 170 aircraft this year, with 40 percent of the deliveries scheduled for the first half of the year.

Most of the deliveries in the first quarter were from Embraer’s family of 70- to 110-seat next-generation regional planes known as E-jets. It said it delivered 20 of them in the quarter.

Embraer, whose main rival in the regional jet market is Canada’s Bombardier, also delivered five Legacy 600s in the quarter. The Legacy is an executive jet that seats up to 16 passengers. Embraer finished the first quarter with a firm order backlog totaling $15 billion, up from $10.4 billion a year ago and $14.8 billion at the end of 2006.