Embraer sees India not only as a potential customer for the C-390 Millennium, but also as a future global manufacturing, supply-chain and maintenance hub for the growing transport aircraft programme.
Speaking to ANI in an interview published on 27 September, Embraer Defense & Security President and CEO Bosco da Costa Junior confirmed that Mahindra remains the Brazilian manufacturer’s partner for India’s Multi-Role Transport Aircraft (MTA) competition.
India is seeking 60 medium transport aircraft, with an option for an additional 50%, potentially taking the requirement to 90 aircraft. The C-390 is expected to compete against platforms including the Lockheed Martin C-130J and Airbus A400M.
“We need to expand our supply chain because the fleet is growing,” da Costa Junior said, explaining that Embraer sees India as an opportunity not only for local production but also for supporting C-390 operators globally through supply-chain and MRO capabilities.
The Mahindra partnership itself is not new. Embraer and Mahindra first announced cooperation on the Indian MTA programme in February 2024 and strengthened the relationship through a Strategic Cooperation Agreement in October 2025 covering the joint C-390 bid, localisation, manufacturing, assembly and MRO.
In February 2026, the companies took another step by announcing plans to establish C-390 maintenance capability in India should the aircraft be selected for the programme.
The latest comments are significant because they come after India moved the MTA procurement into a more concrete phase. Da Costa Junior also clarified the division between Embraer’s major Indian partnerships: Mahindra remains its partner for the military C-390 programme, while Embraer’s recently expanded cooperation with Adani is focused on commercial aviation.
For Embraer, the potential significance extends well beyond an Indian aircraft order. A programme of up to 90 aircraft could establish India as one of the largest C-390 markets and create an additional industrial and support base for the aircraft as its international operator community expands.
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