Brazil's Embraer agrees on order for 30 regional jets for United; could grow to 70-jet deal

SAO PAULO – Brazilian plane maker Embraer says it's signed a firm order with United Airlines for 30 regional jets.

With the option for United to buy an additional 40 jets, Embraer says the deal could eventually be worth nearly $4 billion. The first planes are to be delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

The E175 jets will be flown by the airliner's United Express regional service and will have a 76-seat layout.

In a joint statement Monday, United chief revenue officer Jim Compton praises the E175's fuel efficiency, and says the planes will have an expanded first-class section and larger overhead bins.

Embraer is the world's third-largest commercial aircraft manufacturer behind Boeing and Airbus and the global leader in regional jets.