.jpg) AnEmbraer E-Jet E190 below aBoeing 777F | |
| Industry | Aircraft manufacturer |
|---|---|
| Fate | Failed proposal |
| Headquarters | |
| Products | Airliners |
| Brands | E-Jet,E-Jet E2 |
| Owners | |
Boeing Brasil–Commercial was a proposed, but failedjoint venture betweenBoeing andEmbraer to design, build, and sellcommercial airliners worldwide. The partnership was established in February 2019, after Boeing agreed to purchase an 80% stake in Embraer's commercial aircraft division. The deal was approved by Embraer's shareholders and was expected to close in June 2020 pendingantitrust reviews, but in April 2020 Boeing terminated the joint venture deal due toimpact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on aviation and market uncertainty. Embraer alleges that the financial impact of theBoeing 737 MAX groundings contributed to the demise of the deal, while others allege that U.S. labor and political considerations played a role.
In December 2017,The Wall Street Journal reportedBoeing had been in takeover talks withEmbraer and was planning to offer more than the Brazilian company's $3.7 billionmarket value and was awaitingBrazilian government approval.[1] The two companies confirmed that a potential combination was being discussed, with a transaction subject to approval by the Brazilian government and regulators, the two companies' boards and shareholders.[2] Aviation industry analysts saw the potential deal as a reaction to the Airbus–Bombardier deal on theCSeries.[3]
In the early years of Embraer, it was a state-run company and although it was privatized in the early 1990s, the Brazilian government retained interest in the company through possession ofgolden shares, which allow it veto power.[4]
On December 22, 2017, Brazilian presidentMichel Temer said the sale of Embraer to Boeing was "out of the question", adding that the government was in favor allowing other companies, like Boeing, to establish partnerships with the company, but warning that it would veto changes in stock control.[5] On December 28, defense ministerRaul Jungmann opposed transferring control of the parent company Embraer S.A., because he believed that Embraer's defense business could not be separated from its commercial operations, but would welcome a deal maintaining local control of the company.[6] On January 2, 2018, Brazilian financial newspaperValor Econômico reported that the companies were now looking at forming ajoint venture to avoid changing control of Embraer to appease Brazilian regulators.[7]
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On July 5, 2018, aMemorandum of Understanding was announced for astrategic partnership: for $3.8 billion Boeing would have an 80% stake in ajoint venture with Embraer, which would produce and service Embraer's commercialairliners (theERJ,E-Jet and theE-Jet E2), a business that at the time was valued at $4.75 billion and offer $150 million worth ofcorporate synergy opportunities. Under the proposed joint venture, Embraer would retain its executivebusiness jet and itsdefense industry businesses, but the two companies could explore a second joint venture for theC-390 Millennium defense aircraft.[8] Boeing would control the new company, which would be managed fromBrazil with leaders who report to Boeing's CEO. Alock-up agreement would prevent Embraer or Boeing from selling their shares for 10 years. Aput option would protect the minority stake value, allowing Embraer to sell its shares at the same price, inflation adjusted. At the time of the announcement, the deal was expected to be approved byshareholders andgovernment regulators by the end of 2019.[9]
Despite the proposed deal being converted from a takeover to a joint venture, it remained controversial within the Brazilian government. Thelame-duck government of embattled Brazilian president Michel Temer opposed the deal, but president-electJair Bolsonaro, who would take office on January 1, 2019, supported it.[10] The deal was also opposed by the left-wingBrazilian Workers Party, and fourcongressmen obtained an injunction from theBrazilian federal court Judge Victor Giuizo Neto to block the joint venture, saying that it would give away the profitable airliner division and would remove it from theBrazilian Government control. The following week, the injunction was overturned by anappeals court.[11]
Aviation industry publication Leeham News noted that the deal would be good for both companies, as Boeing needed Embraer's smaller jets and Embraer needed Boeing's marketing power as theE-Jet E2 family was selling slowly, in part due customers were waiting for the joint venture deal to close, and theE175-E2 being too heavy to be sold to U.S. airlines due toscope clause limitations.[12]
On December 17, 2018, Boeing announced that it was now offering to pay $4.2 billion for its 80% stake in the commercial aircraft joint venture, valuing the business at $5.25 billion.[13] At the same time the two companies announced that they were exploring establishing a second joint venture that would market theC-390 Millennium defense aircraft.[14]
Unions representing Embraer employees filed aclass action lawsuit to block the deal on December 20, 2018, and Judge Victor Giuizo Neto again granted an injunction saying, "The brutal asymmetry in the shareholder structure of this venture prevents it from being carried out without compromising the survival of national interests." The injunction was appealed by Embraer and was overturned two days later with Federal Court President Therezinha Cazerta saying the case was outside thecourt's purview.[15][16][17]
On January 10, 2019, thenew Brazilian government approved the deal saying that it secured a new deal to "maintain the current jobs in Brazil" and a commitment to transfer production of executive business jets from the commercial jet factory inSão José dos Campos to theGavião Peixoto factory, where Embraer's defense business is based.[18][19][20]
On February 26, 2019, the partnership was approved by Embraer's shareholders.[21] It was to be followed byantitrust reviews in Brazil, the EU, the US and China for an expected closure by the end of 2018.The joint venture should have $3.5 billionassets against $1.4 billionliabilities, for a $2.1 billionequity value.[22] The price paid by Boeing was seen as very favorable to Embraer compared to the amount paid by Airbus for the CSeries.[23]In March, Boeing named Embraer'sJohn Slattery as CEO of the joint venture andB. Marc Allen, a Boeing executive as president.[24]
On May 23, Boeing announced that the division would be known as "Boeing Brasil–Commercial," dropping the Embraer name, but had not yet decided whether to rebrand the aircraft as Boeing models.[25] The joint venture also confirmed that airliner production would remain at the São José dos Campos factory, to be taken over by Boeing Brasil; while Embraer would move production of theLegacy 450/500 and Praetor 500/600 executive jets to the Gavião Peixoto factory.[20]
The EU antitrust investigation was set to issue findings from its preliminary review on October 4, 2019, and intended to conduct a full investigation thereafter which could last up to five months.[26] By then, Boeing and Embraer were expecting the transaction to close in early 2020.[27] On November 12, 2019, Embraer confirmed the delay until at least March 2020.[28]In January 2020, the partnership was approved by Brazilian authorities, and only the European Commission approval was lacking.[29] By March 2020, the deal was not expected to close before June 23, 2020.[30]
On November 18, 2019, the two companies officially announced a second joint venture known as "Boeing Embraer – Defense" to promote and develop new markets for the C-390 Millennium. Embraer would keep a 51% stake in this proposed joint venture, which would also need to be approved byshareholders andgovernment regulators[31]
Boeing terminated the planned joint ventures on April 24, 2020, saying that Embraer did not satisfy the conditions established in their agreement.[32] Industry analysts said that the $4.2 billion deal became unbalanced as Embraer's market value fell to less than $1.1 billion as air travel demand dropped as a result of theimpact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on aviation.[33][34] Industry analysts speculated that Boeing may have also cancelled the deal because it had recently been awarded aU.S. government pandemic relief loan, and wanted to avoid making the impression that funds intended to support U.S. jobs were instead used to secure a deal with a Brazilian firm.[35]
Embraer has rejected Boeing's reasons for the termination of the deal and said the company "has manufactured false claims as a pretext to seek to avoid its commitments" because of its financial condition after the737 MAX groundings and "other business and reputational problems."[36] Embraer threatened to pursue "all remedies against Boeing for the damages incurred."[36] The agreement had a termination fee of $75 million according to a copy of the merger agreement filed to U.S. authorities.[37] Industry analysts also believe that Embraer may file suit to recover the $100–120 million it spent separating its commercial and military units, and claim lost business opportunities as orders for new jets were slow while customers were waiting for the deal to close.[38]
Despite the termination of the two joint ventures, the agreement relating to marketing of the C-390 military aircraft remains, though analysts say the prospects of international sales facilitated by Boeing have diminished.[39]
Hamilton Mourão,Vice President of Brazil, proposed an alternative partnership withChina.[40]Teal Group aerospace analystRichard Aboulafia was doubtful the partnership could work, whileAscend global consultancy reckons going with China could get Embraer's foot in the door.[41]
In September 2024, the companies reached an agreement ("collar agreement") of 150 milliondollars (around 825 millionreais) for Boeing's decision to withdraw from negotiations in 2020.[42][43][44] Boeing confirmed that an agreement had been reached, without mentioning the amount to be paid.[42][45] As this is anarbitration agreement, there is no provision for the parties toappeal the decision.[44] Analysts atJPMorgan said that the amount was below expectations, noting that the forecast was for asettlement of between 300 million and 400 million dollars.[42]
And politically, going forward with a major foreign investment could have derailed Boeing's negotiations with the U.S. government for a massive loan to survive the brutal business downturn. "The political and labor problems Boeing would face if it took $4 billion from the federal government and put it into Brazil would be huge," said Hamilton.
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