The light jet will maintain the same price point, with deliveries starting in early 2024.

Embraer has announced a new generation of its highly-regarded Phenom 100 line, now officially known as the Phenom 100EX, just prior to next week’s NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Expo. This new variant introduces a number of changes inside and out that continue to make it a standout in its class.

The largest change that passengers will notice is the updated design and technology in the interior. Most notably, Embraer has removed the drink rail climate control buttons and has incorporated overhead touch screen tech panels to control cabin comfort and entertainment, a feature drawn from their super midsize Praetor family of aircraft. The interior soft goods take on a new look, with new stitching patterns, sustainable materials used throughout the cabin and new flush-to-the-wall large passenger foldout tables. The $100,000 optional forward side facing seat and rear belted lavatory are now standard equipment. In addition, the seats and drop aisle are marginally wider and the headliner is slightly taller.

In the cockpit, Embraer’s commitment to safety is realized with the addition of optional Runway Overrun Awareness and Avoidance System (ROAAS) technology. This feature, borrowed from the larger Phenom 300E, aims to improve safety by increasing pilot awareness during potentially dangerous approaches. The aircrafts computer uses constant analysis of weather, aircraft performance and known runway information to determine if an approach is stabilized or the aircraft is at risk of an overrun and advises the pilot to go around.

Also inherited from the Phenom 300E is automatic 3D Volumetric Weather Radar with Lightning and Hail detection, increasing pilot awareness when dodging tricky weather. FlightStream 510 is included in the latest Garmin Prodigy Touch Avionics, allowing pilots to save time by simply connecting their EFB directly to the aircraft. In addition, the hard bulkhead behind the pilots seat has been removed and replaced with a curtain to allow additional seat tracking for taller pilots, in addition to allowing better communication between pilots and passengers in the cabin.

The last row of windows on the rear of the aircraft have also been removed. While we can speculate that this was done to save weight, it undeniably represents a challenging compromise. Prior to this change, the Phenom 100 had the distinction of being the sole aircraft in its category to offer lavatory windows, a feature highly valued by prospective buyers in this market segment.

According to the AIN article on the EX announcement, the removal of these windows and the aforementioned cockpit bulkhead shaves 190lbs of interior weight off of the aircraft, which is bound to affect performance to some degree.

Deliveries of the Phenom 100EX will commence in January 2024, with pricing remaining the same, starting at $4,995,000.  While these new features, combined with the Phenom 100s long standing record of reliability, performance and passenger comfort certainly make this a rival to aircraft in its class, the market still eagerly awaits a significant upgrade in performance to this model.