Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef held discussions with Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Embraer, Dimas Douglas Tomlin, which focused on enhancing cooperation to localize the aviation industry in Saudi Arabia. The discussions touched on benefiting from the company’s expertise in this field, including aircraft manufacturing, assembly and maintenance, within the framework of Saudi Arabia"s efforts aimed to diversifying its economy and developing new and advanced industries in the country. The minister"s tour included a visit to the company"s facilities in Ozires Silva, Eugenio de Melo, and Gavião Peixoto, where commercial and military aircraft, helicopters and electric aircraft are manufactured, in addition to its research and engineering center. Embraer was founded in 1969, and provides a comprehensive range of services, including design, manufacturing and maintenance. It operates in markets across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe, and has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft to the commercial aviation sector. Negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the company began during the Saudi-Brazilian Aviation Forum in 2023, and in May 2024, Embraer, the National Industrial Development Center (NIDC), and AHQ Group signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance the aviation ecosystem in Saudi Arabia, with a focus on adopting Embraer aircraft, technological cooperation, and developing supply chains. This partnership is in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, and includes the E21 family’s evaluation of a new regional airline project.