It’s been a busy few days for Embraer as they convert Letters of Intent into actual orders, with three airlines signing up for aircraft.
Let’s go through the latest orders
Air Kirbati is first up with orders for two E190-E2 aircraft, with purchase rights for another two aircraft The order is back with the Government of Kiriba.
Air Kribati Embraer E190 E2 – Image, Embraer
With all purchase rights being exercised, the contract has a value of USD 243 million, based on current list prices. Entry into service is expected in 2019
Next up is Azul who are converting a letter of intent into an order for 21 E195-E2 jets. The original LoI was signed during Farnborough Airshow 2018 in July. The 21 aircraft are in addition to the 30 ordered by Azul already.
Azul Embraer E195-E2 – Image,
This brings Azul’s fleet up to 51 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with the airline remaining on-track to be the launch operator of the type.
Finally, Republic Airways has also converted a letter of intent for 100 E175 E-Jets into an firm order. The contract also includes purchase rights for an additional 100 E175s, with conversion rights to the E175-E2
Republic Airways Embraer E175 – Image, Embraer
It’s a big end of the year thing for John Slattery, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, with him stating
.“What a great way to finish this very hectic year for us at Embraer,”
“As we promised in Farnborough, we are now closing a very important contract with Republic for these additional E175’s, continuously growing our long-standing partnership
And In further quotes…
On the Air Kribati order Hon. Willie Tokataake, Minister for Information, Communication, Transport and Tourism Development of the Kiribati Government said
“We were impressed with what we saw when the E190-E2 visited Kiribati in October,”
“Given its impressive range, lower fuel consumption and maintenance costs and dual class configuration that brings comfort to our passengers compared to its peers, the E190-E2’s capabilities empower us to enhance connectivity within our country and beyond, taking our nation to its next phase of growth.”
On the Republic Airways order, Bryan Bedford, Republic’s President and CEO said
“This order represents another significant advance in our long-standing partnership with Embraer, and it positions Republic to compete for the more than 300 regional aircraft we anticipate being up for bid during the next five years as existing flying agreements expire with our global codeshare partners”
More E-Jets are always welcome
From a passenger experience point of view, I’ve always preferred the Embraer E-Jet family when flying on regional networks. Normally, for the comfortable seating – even in the back of the plane in a 2-2 formation (which doesn’t feel like you’re crammed into the sidewall or seat.
Considering some of the configurations these planes can be set at (eg American Eagle offering 1-2 seating in First Class) and a comfortable 2-2 seating configuration, it makes a strong case in the regional market.
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