Embraer introduced the new Phenom 300E, an updated version of the Phenom 300, the best-selling business jet for the past four years. “People ask, ‘Why do anything to the best-selling business jet,’” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano, in introducing the aircraft on Monday at NBAA 2017. “Because we can—we have the opportunity to enhance” the platform. Indeed, the “E” stands for “enhanced,” according to Embraer (Booth N2632; SD15), and refers to the jet’s redesigned cabin and the addition of Lufthansa Technik’s nice HD CMS/IFE (High Definition Cabin Management System/In-flight Entertainment) system.

On display at the NBAA static area at Henderson Executive Airport, deliveries of the $9.45 million Phenom 300E will commence in the first quarter of 2018.

The cabin enhancements include new seats, designed and engineered by Embraer and manufactured at sister company Embraer Aero Seating Technologies in Titusville, Florida. They incorporate extendable headrests with bolsters, extendable leg rests and retractable armrest, and the seatback has been broadened for greater support. The 300E also offers more customization and personalization options for the seats, with a wide choice of leathers and stitching, Amalfitano said.

The table, side ledge, side wall and valence designs are also new, while the cabin is actually more spacious, with a three-inch wider aisle and an additional inch of headroom compared with the $8.95 million 300. Embraer's new 300E also incorporates an upper technology panel along the centerline of the cabin ceiling, significantly improving passenger ergonomics, it said.

This panel presents passengers with pertinent in-flight information, while allowing for convenient interaction with cabin management controls. In-flight entertainment with audio and video on demand is also available as an option via two slender swing-down seven-inch displays. The ceiling panel also incorporates an upgraded cabin lighting scheme, with a broad range of ambient mood selections, and patented flush air nozzles. Meanwhile, Bluetooth connectivity allows passengers to view inflight information on their personal devices.

Much of the technology remains hidden, discretely tucked into side ledges, for example, keeping the interior sleek and stylish, a design signature of Jay Beever, the company’s v-p, interior design, and architect of Embraer’s so-called “future proof” cabins.

“When we design the interior, to protect ourselves and the customer, we design for maintainability,” said Beever. In the 300E, “we moved critical components away from windows, so that anything that fails can be fixed in 30 minutes or less.” He also noted with the trends toward asset-less access models that are gaining popularity among business aviation users, with its easily maintained and updatable interior, “the 300E is especially set up to handle the marketplace in the shared ownership space.”

Performance-wise, the Phenom 300E delivers a high speed cruise of 453 knots, a six-occupant range of 1,971 nm and a maximum cabin altitude of 6,600 feet, the best pressurization in class, according to Embraer. Base price is $9.45 million and customization options start at an extra $300,000.

Since entering service in 2009, more than 400 Phenom 300s have been delivered.