Embraer Celebrates Ten Years of E-Jet Deliveries
Brazilian Aircraft manufacturer, Embraer Commercial Aviation, is celebrating the tenth anniversary this year of the first deliveries of it successful E-Jets programme. One of the first two E170s was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines and the other to US Airways, which was the launch customer of the E-Jet in the USA.
LOT was the first airline to operate a commercial E-Jet flight when the aircraft flew between Warsaw and Vienna on March 17, 2004. “E-Jets revolutionized the market for medium-sized jets by incorporating a more spacious cabin for greater passenger comfort, and by making it versatile for operators to optimally manage their fleets”, said Paulo Cesar Silva, president and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation.
“Over these ten years, we have continuously worked to improve the E-Jet family by perfecting its performance and reducing operating costs. “This ensures that our customers have the best product in the up to 130-seat jet category and some of the best operational support services in the industry,” Silva explained. Embraer claims to be the only manufacturer to have developed a family of four modern aircraft specifically for the 70 to 130-seat capacity segment. Redefining The Concept Since the formal launch of the programme in 1999, Embraer E-Jets have redefined the traditional concept of regional aircraft by operating in other business applications.
Today, E-Jets are flying with mainline carriers, low-cost and regional airlines, and with scheduled tour companies. In September 2013, Embraer delivered its 1000th E-Jet .The E175 was delivered to Republic Airlines, a subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings Inc. of the USA. That same year, the worldwide E-Jets fleet surpassed 10-million flight hour’s milestone and carried some 540-million passengers.
Besides their proven reliability (the average mission completion rate is 99, 9%), the global E-Jets fleet has logged more than seven-million flight cycles. E-Jets operators have access to a strategically located worldwide customer support and services network of 37 service centres (MROs), 12 of which are authorized and 25 of which are independently-owned operations. Embraer E-Jets command a 50% share of orders, a 62% share of deliveries in the 70 to 130-seat jet segment, and are in the fleets of 65 airline companies from 45 countries. In June 2013, Embraer launched E-Jets E2, the second generation of the E-Jets family .
The first E2 is scheduled for customer delivery in 2018. Embraer is considered the world leader in manufacturing commercial jets with up to 130 seats. About 900 aircraft of the ERJ 145 family of regional jets with 37, 44 and 50 seats have been delivered to airline companies, since they were introduced to the market, in 1996. The E-Jets family includes four aircraft types that have from 70 to 130 seats.
With their advanced engineering, high level of efficiency, ergonomic and spacious cabins with two seats on either side of the aisle, and attractive operating economics, the E170, E175, E190, and E195 established a new standard in their category. Since E-Jets entered service in 2004, Embraer has received more than 1400 firm orders. Over 1000 E-Jets have been delivered and are in service with some 65 airline companies from 45 countries.
Summary Aircraft manufacturing companies have become innovative and creative in terms of aircraft design and avionics with advancement in technology. Having said that this has made manufacturing companies to strive in ensuring they have the highest technological advancement in the aircraft in terms of flight planning and generation of reports informing the maintenance on checks due and any defects that have occurred in flight.
E-Jets have become the most preferred for VIP Executive private charter flights, Air Ambulance and for private and scheduled cargo and passenger flights. Anthony A Juma is the Editor and Director Commercial and Flights Operations at Wings Over Africa Aviation Limited.
