Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Embraer will decide on whether to develop a new five-abreast narrowbody aircraft some time by the end of this year, company CEO Frederico Curado said today during his company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. Curado reiterated earlier indications that he will wait for Boeing to decide on a successor to the 737NG before reaching any conclusions about a new Embraer jet, and predicted the Chicago-based aerospace giant would announce a decision within the next few months.
 “Boeing, I think, more and more talks openly about a brand-new design, which in my humble opinion makes a lot of sense,” said Curado. “Their engineering is probably going to be less and less loaded with the 787 and 747-8…so a clean-sheet design makes sense.
 Embraer officials are waiting until they know what Boeing plans to do before deciding, Curado said, “whether or not we engage in the development of a new, larger aircraft or if we keep ourselves focused in existing segments by revamping the E-Jets at this stage.” By larger aircraft, he said he meant one that seats five abreast.
 Although Curado himself raised the possibility of “revamping” the E-Jets, he characterized the idea as “premature.”
 “The airplane is still state of the art,” he said. “Sales are testimony of what I am saying,” referring, for example, to a deal announced on March 21 involving 15 E175s and five E190 for Alitalia. 
 “So I do not feel pressed at all about re-engining or redesigning the E-Jets,” he continued. “They are very competitive aircraft. So what we really should focus is [on the question], ‘is there really an opportunity for Embraer to increase its participation in the market by coming to the next segment…in the, let’s say, 130-seats-or- so segment?’ 
 “I think the final piece of this moving puzzle, which I have been talking about for the last three, four, five years, looks like is going to be fixed within the next few months by Boeing.”

Embraer to Decide on Next Commercial Project This Year 

Embraer will decide on whether to develop a new five-abreast narrowbody aircraft some time by the end of this year, company CEO Frederico Curado said today

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN