NEW DELHI: The Adani Group and Embraer have deepened their resolve to set up a final assembly line (FAL) in India. Taking the next step from an initial pact last month, Adani Defence & Aerospace and Embraer Saturday exchanged an “enhanced” MoU for an E175 FAL, in the presence of Brazil president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and commerce minister Piyush Goyal. The MoU was exchanged between Adani Defence & Aerospace director Jeet Adani and Embraer president & CEO Francisco Gomes Neto. The 76-88 seater E175 regional jet is used for short to medium-haul flights and at present in India, eight of them are flying with Star Air and one is in Reliance Industries fleet.“This advancement from the initial MoU signed in January 2026 represents a significant step forward and forms part of a broader roadmap to develop an integrated regional transport aircraft (RTA) ecosystem in India…. for the E175. Both companies are already working together to progress all aspects of the MoU, including opportunities in aircraft manufacturing, supply chain, aftermarket services, and pilot training, and securing orders to support the proposed FAL,” Embraer said in a statement.Jeet Adani said: “Regional aviation is the backbone of economic expansion. With initiatives like UDAN transforming air connectivity across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, the need for an indigenous regional aviation ecosystem has become critical. This partnership will also strengthen strategic relations between India and Brazil, bringing complementary capabilities together.”Francisco Gomes Neto said: “The E175 has a global track record of enabling efficient, high-frequency regional operations and India is a key growth market in that segment. This signing represents a critical milestone for our partnership, as we continue to work together on all aspects of the proposed aerospace ecosystem, including securing orders for a FAL in India.”As one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets in terms of passenger traffic, India is expected to require at least 500 aircraft in the 80-to-146 seat segment over the next 20 years. This reflects a strong demand for efficient regional and short-haul connectivity driven by smaller, efficient jets.Embraer has a growing footprint and long history in India, with nearly 50 Embraer aircraft and 11 aircraft types currently operating across commercial, defence and business aviation.
