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Embraer has suspended operations at its Executive Jet Services facility at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Conn., a temporary shutdown company officials say is a result of the economic downturn.

"Due to the crisis, we saw that initially we were not going to have as many planes flying in that region as we expected, so there was no sense to keep that center open," says Edson Carlos Mallaco, Embraer VP customer support and services-Executive Jets. "Our plan is to reopen that center as soon as we start delivering planes to the northeast region of the United States," he adds. "We don't have a date for that yet, but probably by sometime next year we should reopen it."

The center was closed in late spring.

The 47,700-sq.-ft. center opened in October 2008, one of three new Embraer-owned executive jet centers in the U.S. dedicated to full-service support of the company's growing number of executive jet customers. U.S. operators already fly the Legacy 600, and Embraer has begun delivering its new entry-level Phenom 100 to customers, to be followed by the Phenom 300 and the Legacy 450 and 500.

The facilities at Bradley, costing an estimated $10 million, consist of a hangar, workshops and office space. The center is part of a $100-million-plus investment in infrastructure and organization by Embraer to support its executive jet customers, including a network of 45 owned and authorized centers around the world.

Besides Bradley, Embraer has company owned executive jet centers at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, and Phoenix Gateway Airport, in Mesa, Ariz.

Until it reopens Bradley, Mallaco notes there are several Legacy authorized service centers in the northeast and Phenom authorized centers so far in Montreal, Canada; Greenville, S.C.; and the midwest.

The Windsor Locks center was set to employ about 60 mechanics and administrative personnel over the next five years, and some initial employees already were hired. Mallaco says a few employees were moved to other facilities, but some were laid off; they will get preference for rehiring when the facility is reopened.

"It was an unfortunate situation, but for us, the facility was not really needed due to the reduction of deliveries there," Mallaco says. "And, of course, on the other side is a cost savings benefit to us."

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