Embraer received the type and production certificates, today, for its Phenom 300 executive jet from Brazil's National Civil Aviation Authority (Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil - ANAC) in a ceremony held at Company headquarters, in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certificate is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.

"When we launched the Phenom 300 program, we wanted to bring an unparalleled product into the light jet category," said Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. "Besides delivering a product with unique and innovative features for this class, we are very happy to announce that the Phenom 300 has not only met all original specification targets, but has also surpassed many performance goals."

The Phenom 300's maximum range, originally designed to be 1,800 nautical miles (3,334 kilometers), has been extended to 1,971 nautical miles (3,650 kilometers) with six occupants and NBAA IFR reserves. Runway performance also significantly improved over the initial targets. Takeoff field length, at maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), is now 3,138 feet, considerably better than the original 3,700 feet, while landing distance at maximum landing weight (MLW) improved to 2,621 feet, or 329 feet shorter than the targeted 2,950 feet.

For flights into and out of airports with restrictions due to high temperatures or high elevations, the Phenom 300 exceeded the range targets, resulting, for example, on a range of more than 2000 nm from Aspen, Colorado, U.S. Climb performance also surpassed expectations, allowing the aircraft to depart from sea level at MTOW and reach its operational ceiling of 45,000 feet in only 26 minutes. Powered by two fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535-E engines, the Phenom 300's fuel consumption is as much as 6% better than originally estimated.

The jet's top speed of 453 knots (True Air Speed - TAS) was validated during the flight test campaign. Certified without restrictions, the Phenom 300 is able to fly according to Visual and Instrument Flight Rules, day or night, and into known or forecasted icing conditions. The aircraft also operates well within Stage IV external noise requirements, having been certified with a cumulative margin of 24 EPNdB.

"After working hard to meet design criteria and certification requirements, we are finally approaching the first Phenom 300 delivery. The aircraft's performance demonstrates the top quality of our engineering," said Humberto Pereira, Embraer Vice President, Engineering, Executive Jets. "I would also like to congratulate ANAC for their professionalism and competence demonstrated during the Phenom 300 certification campaign."

The highly intuitive Prodigy(r) flight deck, based on the acclaimed Garmin G1000 avionics suite, was developed from Embraer's accumulated experience in human factors design. Its quiet and dark cockpit philosophy, combined with outstanding ergonomic features, offers full situational awareness and automation for a low workload, enabling single-pilot operation.

The interior of the Phenom 300 was certified to offer unprecedented space and comfort in the light jet category. Its windows, cabin volume, and baggage compartment are the largest among light jets. The airplane's Oval Lite cross-section benefits passengers with greater leg and headroom, and the fully reclinable seats that can move laterally and swivel up to 180o to provide passengers with greater flexibility in the cabin. Its rear lavatory has a rigid door and is the only one in the segment that can be serviced externally.

The in-flight entertainment system offers optional individual monitors and a 10.4-inch ceiling monitor. The generous galley and wardrobe storage space add convenience for a premium travel experience.

"I want to congratulate Embraer's teams and our partners for their creativity, competence and dedication to produce this best-in-class jet," said Affonso. "I am very glad that we succeeded in certifying the Phenom 300 less than one year after certifying the Phenom 100, and with excellent results."

Besides its amazing comfort and performance, the Phenom 300 also raises the bar, in terms of robustness, ease of maintenance, and dispatch reliability With a design life of 35,000 flight hours, the airplane also offers other unique characteristics that rank the Phenom 300 at the top of light jet standards: SmartprobesTM, which increase reliability and reduce maintenance tasks; carbon brakes, which allow 60% less replacements; brake-by-wire system; hot bleed anti-ice on the horizontal stabilizers; and single-point refueling capability.

At the same time that Embraer received the type certificate for the Phenom 300, ANAC also issued the production certificate, which is an approval to manufacture the jet in series. The process began in June 2007, and Embraer had to demonstrate that the Phenom 300 Organization Production System (Sistema de Organizacao da Producao - SOP) complies with the Brazilian aeronautical rules. The main characteristics analyzed by ANAC were project and material controls, manufacturing process, final dispatch and continuous airworthiness, which are part of the Production Organization Manual (Manual de Organizacao da Producao - MOP).

Embraer's Executive Jets Customer Support and Services structure is ready for the Phenom 300 to enter service. The Embraer Executive Jets service centers network currently consists of six factory-owned and more than 30 authorized service centers, worldwide.

The Company also has partnerships with renowned companies in the areas of logistics, pilot and training. The Company's product support structure covers flight operations and technical and maintenance assistance, material support, as well as the new customer Contact Center, that minimizes down time by quickly and efficiently applying the appropriate resources to critical situations.