Aircraft manufacturer Embraer has reported its highest ever number of deliveries in the third quarter of a year. The company delivered 66 aircraft between July and September 2026, four more than in the same period in 2025. This increase has largely stemmed from stronger demand for the Embraer E175 jet, as well as the Embraer A-29 Super Tucano military aircraft.
What Has Fuelled Embraer’s Rise?
Executive aircraft remained the largest component of Embraer’s sales, with the manufacturer delivering 41 executive jets in the third quarter, the same number recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. The Phenom 300 jet continued to be Embraer’s most popular aircraft, accounting for 20 deliveries, as it did last year.
The growth in the manufacturer’s overall delivery rate was driven by its commercial and military aircraft. Embraer delivered eleven E175 jets in the third quarter of 2026, up from seven in the same period of 2025. It also delivered two A-29 Super Tucano military jets last quarter, compared to none in the third quarter of 2025.
Demand fell for the Embraer E195-E2 jet, with only seven deliveries being made in the third quarter of 2026, compared to eleven in the third quarter of 2025. This did however mark an increase from the six E195-E2 jets delivered in the second quarter of this year.
Embraer’s Future Outlook
In July 2026, Embraer reported that the company was experiencing its largest ever backlog of undelivered aircraft. It stated that it was preocessing orders valued at $34.5 billion worth of jets, across its commercial, executive, and military branches. This showcases a consistent rise in demand for Embraer’s aircraft, including from large international airlines.
U.S. carriers American Airlines and Alaska Airlines both received deliveries from Embraer in the third quarter of this year, as did the state-owned Mexican airline Mexicana de Aviación.
Embraer’s executives will also be encouraged by the steady rise in demand for the manufacturer’s commercial aircraft, particularly the E175, which helped to secure a sixth consecutive year of rising third quarter sales for its commercial jets.
This rise has seen Embraer expand its number of commercial deliveries from seven in the third quarter of 2020, to 22 this year. Embraer will now aim to increase its delivery rate in the final quarter of 2026. The manufacturer has set a target of between 240 and 255 deliveries of executive and commercial aircraft for 2026 as a whole, and recorded 167 deliveries of these jets between January and September.
What Does This Mean For Aircraft Manufacturing?
In recent years, Embraer has emerged as the civilian aircraft manufacturer most likely to challenge to duopoly of Boeing and Airbus.
Airbus’ latest delivery figures show that the manufacturer delivered 72 aircraft in September 2026, one fewer than in the same period of 2025. The company’s Commercial CEO Lars Wagner has however said that he is “very confident” that Airbus will meet its annual targets.
Boeing meanwhile will release its third quarter delivery figures on Oct. 27. The manufacturer did however enjoy a 14% rise in deliveries in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, largely fuelled by rising demand for the Boeing B-737.
A period of sustained growth for Embraer, and other smaller aircraft manufacturers, will theoretically increase competition in the commercial aircraft market. This would add greater incentives for Boeing and Airbus to chase innovations in their design and manufacturing processes, in order to maintain their position as market leaders.
Have you ever flown on an Embraer jet? Would you like to see them become more widespread? Let us know in the comments.
