Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer Tuesday delivered its first Embraer 190 aircraft in China to Grand China Express, controlled by the Hainan Airlines group, the company said on its website.

The delivery of the aircraft follows the reception, last week, of certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to operate Embraer 190 and Embraer 195 jets in mainland China.

Mauro Kern, executive vice-president of Embraer for the commercial aviation market, said in the statement that “this certification is another important step for our E-Jets in the excellent and promising Chinese aviation market.”

Embraer also said that the Embraer 170 and 175 aircraft will be certified according to the needs of the market and new requests from Chinese companies.

Embraer estimates that the Chinese aviation market will have average annual growth of 7.5 percent over the next 20 years, with a need for 730 new 30 to 120 seat aircraft, which represents 10 percent of world demand in this segment.

In the category of 90 to 120 seats, in which the Embraer 190 is positioned, there will be a need for 450 new aircraft in China.

Embraer was founded in 1969 and manufactures commercial jets with up to 120 seats and is one of Brazil's biggest exporters.

Based in Sao Jose dos Campos, in the state of Sao Paulo, the company has offices, industrial units and servicing workshops in Brazil, the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore.