Embraer is actively chasing six new airline customers in the Middle East, and it might announce one order this month, said the aircraft maker’s vice president for the region, Jose Luis Molina.

While Molina wouldn’t name the list of potential buyers, he confirmed that Oman Air is among them. Many of the deals aren’t actually requests for proposals, but prospects built on Embraer initiative.

With order activity in North America and Europe currently anemic, Embraer has shifted much of its market attention to the Middle East and Africa, where demand is still more robust. Molina notes the airlines in these markets have been less affected by the global economic slowdown than other parts of the world.

“We believe in four years we can double the fleet in the [Middle East] region,” Molina said.

To help underscore its regional credentials, Molina said Embraer will decide in the first half of 2010 whether to establish a spare parts depot in the region. Four already exist, but those are linked to the four existing customers, Saudi Arabian, NASAir, EgyptAir and Royal Jordanian.

The spare parts would be shifted from Paris, from where Embraer currently supplies spares to the Middle East. That also means the spending required should be moderate. Molina said a location hasn’t been selected yet, but candidates include Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

Photo: Embraer