It seems Air France-KLM is finally pushing its remaining Fokker fleet out to pasture, with the group putting an order in for up to 34 Embraer E-Jets.
Past and present: KLM CityHopper Embraer 170 (foreground) and Fokker F70 (background) at Amsterdam Airport – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
KLM’s regional fleet operated by KLM Cityhopper will be taking 17 extra aircraft, split by:
- 15 Embraer 175s
- 2 Embraer 190s
The order also includes options for 17 additional E-Jets which could be destined for either KLM Cityhopper or Air France’s HOP! subsidiary.
The 17 new aircraft will join the KLM Cityhopper Embraer fleet (currently standing at 28 E-190s), and will replace the venerable Fokker F70 aircraft (which number in 19 aircraft).
When delivered, there will be 71 E-Jets split across Air France-KLM group – making the group the largest operate of E-Jets in Europe.
From a personal perspective, if I have to fly a regional aircraft, I’d be looking for an Embraer E-Jet to fly aboard as opposed to a Bombardier CSeries.
Why?
I find it’s impossible to mess up an E-Jet configuration – so no matter what seat you’re in (be it First Class where a 2-1 configuration can be found, Euro-business or plain old economy), you’ll be in some comfort. The 2-2 configuration also is great – catering for those who love the window and those who prefer aisle access.
That, and I find the fuselage is a lot larger than the contemporary CRJ aircraft, making it a nicer place to be in.
The new KLM E-Jets will join the fleet from 2018.
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Monday evening I flew on the new E175 for American, Denver to Los Angeles. The plane was 2 days old! It’s very well designed, smooth interiors with lots of overhead space and bin space. The seats for this product are very well portioned out. I like how the windows are higher up, almost at shoulder level when sitting. The configuration was 2×2 and a pretty narrow aisle but who cares, you don’t stand up to fly.