If Embraer is working on such a project, Boeing would have a new competitor while it struggles with its latest safety crisis and production issues.
The head of the world's largest airplane lessor dismissed the prospect that Brazil's Embraer would challenge the planemaking duopoly of Airbus and Boeing any time soon, after the Wall Street Journal reported it was exploring a new jet.
Brazilian planemaker Embraer on Wednesday played down a report that it is studying a new jet to compete directly with Boeing and Airbus, saying it has no plans for a major cycle of spending. The Wall Street Journal reported that the world's third-largest planemaker is exploring options for a narrowbody jet to break out of its regional niche and "compete head-on" with the best-selling Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo families.