Phenom 100’s debut flight at Delhi airport flew with its first passenger, SP’s Aviation Editor in-Chief Jayant Baranwal, on November 5. Introduced by Embraer in 2005, the Phenom 100 has been widely acknowledged as the most comfortable business jet in the entry level category.

Thursday, November 5. nine in the morning and the skies over Delhi were an ominous grey blanket of what can at best be conjectured as unexplained smog. But the mood on the ground at Terminal 1A Indira Gandhi International Airport was far from grey—on the contrary, the elegant visage and gracious interiors of the Phenom 100 lifted spirits and charged the air with an infectious ebullience. “Embraer is proud to showcase its successful entry level Phenom 100 in the Asia-Pacific region,” said José Eduardo Costas, Embraer Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Asia Pacific–Executive Jets.

Equally proud was the moment for SP’s Aviation—the first to get on board and fly on this vision of winged beauty. While the media release issued earlier by the company mentioned the scheduled debut flight in Delhi as November 6, the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal was rather overwhelmed with the special invite to an exclusive recce (and, as it later turned out, the sole individual to undertake a flight on the aircraft from the Indian media circle) of the latest debutant from Embraer’s stables.

Comfortable, Reliable, Versatile

In November, Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica) commenced on a flying demo tour of the entry level Phenom 100 executive jet in the Asia-Pacific region. The first stop was India where the jet visited seven cities, starting with Delhi and followed by Indore, Mumbai, Bangalore, Madurai, Chennai and Hyderabad. After India, the Phenom 100 was exhibited in Singapore and Australia. “In less than one year of operations, our Phenom 100 executive jet has shown itself to be a comfortable, reliable and versatile platform, and it is constantly being improved. I am sure that our customers in the region are benefiting from the jet’s characteristics and its growing support network,” Costas enthused.

The Phenom 100 deliveries began in December 2008. By September 30 this year, the jet had logged more than 3,000 flight hours, with a total of 45 aircraft delivered worldwide. Embraer has several important Phenom family customers in India. Among them are Aviators India Private Limited, the first client in the region, with two Phenom 100 jets; and Invision Projects Private Limited, which holds the largest order for Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 jets in India, at 20. To support the operations of the growing number of Phenom and Legacy 600 customers in the country, Embraer recently appointed Indamer Company Private Limited as an authorised service centre.