The Praetor 500E and its sistership the 600E, revealed by Embraer in February, are updated variants of the company’s original Praetors.
Brazilian, European and US regulators have certificated Embraer’s Praetor 500E midsize business jet, a milestone coming one month after those authorities approved its larger Praetor 600E.
The models are updated variants of the Brazilian manufacturer’s baseline Praetor 500 and 600, which entered service in 2019.
“The Praetor 500E is now approved for operation in key global markets,” Embraer said on 30 June.
“Achieving triple certification ahead of schedule and on spec is a strong testament to our engineering excellence, enterprise efficiency and disciplined execution,” adds Embraer Executive Jets chief executive Michael Amalfitano.
Both aircraft are now certificated by Brazil’s ANAC, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Europe’s EASA.
Embraer made waves when introducing the 500E and 600E in February, highlighting several cabin changes it says make the jets’ cabin comfort commensurate with their considerable range.
The midsize nine-passenger Praetor 500E can fly routes up to 3,340nm (6,186km), while the super-midsize 12-passenger 600E, with 4,018nm of range, can remain airborne for some 9h and fly routes such as New York to London. Both are powered by twin Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans, each producing 6,540lb (29kN) of thrust for the 500E, and 7,528lb for the 600E.
Embraer outfitted the updated types with modern cabin management systems (CMS) that can be accessed from smartphones and used to control numerous cabin features, from lights and window screens to video and airflow.
The prior Praetor seats are gone, replaced with new electronically-controlled leather seats with lumbar supports, six adjustment points, CMS control touchscreens and wired and wireless phone chargers. While a supplier manufactured the prior seats, Embraer plans to produce the new seats in-house at its facilities in Melbourne, Florida.
Embraer gave the 500E and 600E touchscreen-controlled air vents (replacing twisting “gasper” air vents) and an LED cabin lighting system can produce 16 million colour variations. It tweaked the overhead side panels to provide 1.5in (3.8cm) of additional headroom.
Additionally, Embraer is offering only the 600E with what executives call a “Smart Window” – a curved 42in, 4K-resolution OLED (organic light-emitting diode) monitor mounted on the cabin’s left wall. While the monitor covers one window, it can display high-resolution video from outside the aircraft, giving passengers the sensation of seeing through a window.
Also specific to the 600E, Embraer extended the galley by several inches by relocating the stowage position of the galley pocket door from the right to left side of the forward bulkhead. It also offers the 600E with an optional crew lavatory set within a storage cabinet behind the cockpit, a feature meaning pilots need not use the primary aft lavatory, which requires they walk through the cabin.
For new orders, Embraer plans to begin deliveries in 2029, it says.
Embraer assembles Praetors at its Sao Jose dos Campos facility in Brazil and delivers them from Melbourne. The jets compete to varying degrees with Bombardier Challenger 3500s and Challenger 650s, Dassault Falcon 2000s, Gulfstream G280s and Textron Aviation Cessna Citation Latitudes and Longitudes.
The post Embraer secures Praetor 500E’s certification first appeared on FlightGlobal.