The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted type certification for several aircraft models from the E-Jets family of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. As the company announced on July 7, 2026, the certification covers the E190, E195, and the technologically more advanced E195-E2 models.
This expands the manufacturer's portfolio approved for the Indian market, following the regulatory approval of the smaller E175 model in 2023. The regulatory decision comes at a time when the Indian government is making intensive efforts to expand air connections between medium-sized cities and rural regions through targeted subsidies. While the manufacturer aims to gain significant market share in the country's rapidly growing aviation sector through this certification, industry observers emphasize the infrastructural and economic hurdles associated with operating this class of jet at smaller regional airports.
The role of regional jet models in Indian air transport policy
The Indian aviation market has traditionally been characterized by strong polarization. While traffic between major metropolitan areas like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru is dominated by large narrow-body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, connecting more remote areas has often proven uneconomical. The Indian government is attempting to address this deficit through the national infrastructure program Udan. This program envisions the expansion and reactivation of airports in so-called Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities to connect large segments of the population to the air network. To support these routes, government subsidies are paid to airlines operating them.
The certification of the Embraer models is specifically aimed at this market segment. According to company representatives like Raul Villaron, the E-Jets are intended to bridge the gap between smaller turboprop aircraft and large commercial airliners. The largest model in the series, the E195-E2, has a flight time capacity of up to seven hours, enabling it to serve longer direct routes within the subcontinent and to neighboring regions. Management argues that these aircraft can profitably operate routes for which a conventional Airbus or Boeing is too large, and a propeller-driven aircraft is too slow or too limited in range.
Economic framework conditions and structural cooperation
The Brazilian manufacturer's presence in India is not new, but recent regulatory developments have deepened its reach. Currently, nearly fifty aircraft from eleven different model lines are in operation in the country, serving civil aviation, business travel, and defense. One prominent civil operator is Star Air, which operates a fleet of eleven E175 and ERJ145 aircraft, specializing in regional services.
To secure its market position in the long term, the company is focusing on local industrial partnerships. In February 2026, Embraer signed an expanded memorandum of understanding with the Indian industrial conglomerate Adani Defence and Aerospace. The aim of this agreement is to establish a final assembly line for the E175 regional jet in India. This local manufacturing is intended not only to shorten delivery times for Indian customers but also aligns with the Indian government's policy demands for local value creation in the high-tech sector. Nevertheless, economists point out that setting up such a production line incurs high fixed costs and will only pay for itself if Indian airlines consistently purchase high volumes in the coming years.
Infrastructural requirements and critical market analysis
Despite the theoretical advantages of regional jets, their practical implementation faces logistical challenges. Many of the regional airports developed under the Udan program have short runways and limited asphalt load-bearing capacity. While Embraer emphasizes that the E-Jets family was specifically designed for operation under such demanding conditions, everyday flight operations in extreme climatic conditions, common in India, increase the demands on maintenance and spare parts availability.
Furthermore, the Indian aviation market is known for its extreme price sensitivity. Competition among low-cost carriers is intense, which has led to the collapse of several market participants in the past. Operating costs per seat mile tend to be higher for smaller regional jets than for fully booked wide-body aircraft. Whether the government subsidy system will be sufficient to offset this difference in the long term remains a key question for operators. International aviation authorities such as the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency certified the E195-E2 back in 2018 and 2019. The fact that Indian certification is only now being granted demonstrates the thorough and lengthy review by the national authorities, but also underscores the bureaucratic hurdles that foreign manufacturers face in the Indian market.