LATAM Airlines Brasil (JJ, São Paulo Congonhas) and GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes (G3, São Paulo Congonhas) are reportedly in talks with Embraer over a potential E2 jet order, according to chief executive officer Francisco Gomes Neto.

These reports follow Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's remarks in April, in which he stated that his government would work towards guaranteeing that GOL and LATAM Brasil acquire Embraer-made jets.

“We will forge a well-balanced society so that Embraer works, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras works, GOL buys Embraer planes, LATAM buys Embraer planes, [and] the Government buys the planes it needs,” he was quoted by Reuters.

LATAM would not comment on Gomes Neto’s remarks, it told ch-aviation. However, Roberto Alvo, chief executive officer at LATAM Airlines Group, recently told ch-aviation it is unlikely it will return to the level of complexity and multiple aircraft types that it had in the past.

GOL currently undergoing US Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has made clear its fleet plans for the immediate future in which it is looking to increase its fleet to 169 aircraft by 2029 (all Boeing’s B737), up from an estimated 142 at the end of this year. However, the company "is always evaluating alternative fleets that may bring right sizing or help us to increase the connectivity of our network, even more now with the shortage of aircraft in the market," it said in a statement to ch-aviation.

The ch-aviation fleets module shows that 146 Embraer-produced aircraft, operated by 24 carriers, are currently either active or inactive in Brazil, with Azul and the Brazilian Air Force/Força Aérea Brasileira being Embraer's largest clients. Moreover, 59 are currently on order, with Azul expecting to receive fifty E195-E2s, and Força Aérea Brasileira looking to add nine KC-390s.