Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer issued a statement today saying that it had delivered a total of 22 jet aircraft in the first quarter of 2021. The São José dos Campos, São Paulo-headquartered planemaker, said that of the recent deliveries, nine of the aircraft were commercial jets, and 13 were executive jets.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper received its first two E195-E2 jets in February and its third earlier this month. The delivery to KLM and lessor, ICBC Aviation Leasing of the E2, means that KLM Cityhopper now has three E2 jets in its fleet and is still waiting for its fourth E2 to arrive. KLM Cityhopper E2 jets are configured in a 2+2 layout and can accommodate 132 passengers.
Air Peace has Africa’s first E195-E2s
During the same period, West Africa’s largest airline Air Peace received its first E195-E2 aircraft. The Nigerian airline is the launch customer for the E2 in Africa and is also the first airline to get Embraer’s innovative premium staggered seating design. The staggered seating design is used in the E-2 when airlines want to have their planes configured in a two-class layout.
By staggering the seats, it allows direct aisle access for business class passengers. Air Peace received the E2 jets in January and March and has a further three on order with the Brazilian planemaker.
The E195-E2 is for high-density routes
When speaking about the E195-E2 and what a game-changer it will be for Africa in an Embraer statement, the Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema, said:
“The E195-E2 is the perfect aircraft to expand our domestic and regional operations. We are aware of the aircraft’s impressive economic performance as well as its unique configuration, the major reasons we placed an order for this aircraft. It is also a historic feat as Air Peace will be the first to operate this aircraft model in the whole of Africa. The E195-E2 aircraft will further help us actualize our ambition of connecting not just the whole of Nigeria but the entire African continent while feeding long-haul flights from our Lagos hub. The acquisition will enable us to deliver on our ‘no-city-left-behind’ initiative, which is underpinned by our goal to reduce the air transportation burden of Africans.”
Built on the heritage of other Embraer E-Jets, the E195-E2 has been designed to optimize efficiency and save fuel on high-density routes. Because the E-2 continues the tradition of not having a middle seat, it is a passenger’s favorite in the single-aisle commercial aircraft segment.
Embraer builds executive jets
Also, during the first quarter, Embraer delivered the first conversion of a Legacy 450 to a Praetor 500 jet for AirSprint Private Aviation. Calgary, Canada-headquartered AirSprint offers fractional ownership and management of private business jets. The company has another Legacy 450 to Praetor 500 conversion scheduled for later in the year, along with the delivery of a new Praetor 500.
When it debuted in 2015, the Legacy 450 was a leader in the mid-sized private jet market with a range of nearly 2,600 nautical miles. Since then, Embraer has improved the jet, effectively turning it into its latest Praetor 500.
The conversion takes the 450s range to 3,340 nautical miles when carrying four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves. The fuel system, flight control systems, wing structure, and avionic software have all been upgraded, along with the Praetor’s winglets added to the Legacy’s wingtips.
Have you flown on an Embraer E195-E2? If so, please tell us what you think about the aircraft in the comments.