Story ID: 530
Embraer Logs Further E-Jets Orders
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: The Brazilian manufacturer's commercial aircraft backlog now stands at about $3 billion. 
Word Count: 390
At the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, Brazilian manufacturer Embraer released details of new orders for its E-Jets airliners. One order, however, doesn’t include the name of the buyer, but is the largest one, with a firm order for 10 E195-E2s and an additional 10 “purchase rights” for E190-E2s. According to Embraer, this order is worth $666 million. Embraer plans to reveal the buyer later this year.

Fuji Dream Airlines placed a firm order for three E175s and purchase rights for three more, for a total potential value of $274 million if all six airplanes are purchased. The company also signed an agreement to extend its flight hour program with Embraer for up to eight years, and this includes exchange and repair management for more than 300 LRUs. 

Fuji Dream, a Japanese airline that started in 2009, operates 11 Embraer jets, including three E170s and eight E175s. The new jets will be fitted with 84 passenger seats. The airline also opted for a CAT III autoland system.

Other orders announced at Paris include a firm order from Belavia, Belarusian Airlines for one E175 and one E195 for delivery in 2018; two E190s ordered by KLM Cityhopper; and an order for an additional E190 by Japan Air Lines for its J-Air subsidiary. 

Osaka-based J-Air flies its E190s in a two-class configuration with 95 seats. “The E190s have added value to our fleet strategy by enhancing seat capacity and dual-class products on regional routes,” said J-Air president Tetsuya Onuki, “stimulating demand and contributing to the revitalization of regional routes.”

The new jets ordered by KLM Cityhopper join a fleet of 30 E190s and nine E175s, and that is expected to grow to 49 after the airline finishes transitioning to an Embraer-only fleet. The airline services 67 destinations. “Our regional operations provide communities with essential connectivity between Europe’s cities and the world beyond,” said Boet Kreiken, managing director of KLM Cityhopper.

According to Belavia director general Anatoly Gusarov, “Embraer’s E-Jets family has given Belavia the flexibility we need without the usual added complexity in engineering and training because of the technical commonalities between the aircraft.”

Embraer's commercial backlog now stands at a total of $3 billion, split between 18 firm orders worth $1 billion and 33 commitments worth $2 billion.