Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, 3 Feb – Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer – Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica is due Friday to deliver the Legacy 650 executive jet bought by careen actor Jackie Chan, as part of a promotional move by the Brazilian group to increase its sale in China, Embraer said in a statement.

Chosen by Embraer to be its ambassador in China, Chan is due to visit the group’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, where he will star in a promotional film for the company, after which he will take off in the Legacy 650, worth US$30 million, and which has been painted in the colours of the Chinese flag.

Cited by the Brazilian press, Frederico Curado, Embraer’s chairman, said that Chan had bought a Legacy 650 that would now be delivered and said that the company was betting on the actor’s charisma and popularity to increase sales of the company’s aircraft in China.

“Embraer is one of the world leaders in the executive aviation sector and China has the world’s second-largest economy, and is expected to spend US$21 billion in the executive aviation segment over the next 10 years,” Curado said.

The Legacy 650 was certified at the end of 2011 by the China Civil Aviation Administration following certification by other aeronautical authorities, including the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), of Brazil, The European Air Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

At the time, speaking about receiving certification from the Chinese authorities, the chairman of Embraer China, Guan Dongyuan, said that the executive jet, “is the perfect marriage of excellent performance, advanced technology and intelligent luxury, making it a good fit for the business environment in China.”

Powered by Rolls-Royce engines, the Legacy 650 has a 7,223 reach and can fly without stop offs from Beijing (Chin) to Dubai (United Arab Emirates) or from Hong Kong (China) to Adelaide (Australia), carrying four passengers. (macauhub)