Story ID: 
ERJ-140 Gets FAA Nod
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Embraer’s new 44-seat ERJ-140 regional jet gained FAA certification on July 26, two weeks after launch customer American Eagle took the keys to the first p
Word Count: 154
Embraer’s new 44-seat ERJ-140 regional jet gained FAA certification on July 26, two weeks after launch customer American Eagle took the keys to the first production model at the manufacturer’s main plant in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The Rolls-Royce AE3007-powered jet, scheduled to start service August 20 on routes between Chicago and Chattanooga, Tenn., will fill delivery slots formerly reserved for 37-seat ERJ-135s, 75 of which the airline ordered in 1998. Eagle planned to take three of the new 44-seat jets by August 24, followed by another 12 through the end of this year. Built to skirt scope-clause limitations on jets that carry more than 44 seats, the ERJ-140 will in effect allow Eagle to fly as many regional jets as it can field. However, this spring American’s pilots began negotiations for a new contract, part of which would likely involve changes to a scope clause that has survived in its present form since 1997.