China Hebei Airlines orders five Embraer 190s

Chinese carrier Hebei Airlines has ordered five more Embraer 190s with the 100-seaters due to join Hebei’s two in-service E-190s by the end of 2013. The Brazilian airframer values the deal, at list prices, at $226 million.

The additional E-Jets “will help Hebei Airlines to expand its network by exploring new markets and adding frequencies on existing routes,” said Paulo Cesar Silva, Embraer’s president for commercial aviation. Based in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Airlines uses its two E-190s to serve eight destinations, with around 70 flights per week. Since entry into service in January this year, average schedule reliability has been 99.5 percent.

Embraer has about 60 E-190s in service in China now. According to the company’s own forecast, the Chinese market will need 1,050 jets up to 120 seats (the category served by the larger E-Jets) over the next 20 years.