The first E190-E2 regional jet from Brazil’s Embraer is set to be delivered to launch operator Widerøe tomorrow (Wednesday).
The Norwegian airline is preparing for the official handover of the single-aisle aircraft by the manufacturer at 12 midday tomorrow, with the aircraft having completed its first official acceptance flight yesterday. It will start on its delivery journey to Norway in the next few days, and is due to arrive in the country on April 12. Widerøe will then receive its second and third aircraft in May and June, respectively.
The airline has options for a further 12 E2 jets, and is expected to make a decision on several of those shortly. The Widerøe order has a potential list price value of US$873 million if all the options are exercised. The E190-E2s are being configured in a single-class layout with 114 seats.
Stein Nilsen, CEO of Widerøe, will give further details tomorrow in a presentation at Embraer’s facility in São José Dos Campos.
Widerøe, which operates more than 450 daily flights, flies to more than twice as many airports in Norway as any other airline. Its network consists of 60% commercial routes and 40% PSO (Public Service Obligations) routes.
John Slattery, president and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the E2 programme remains on time and on budget, with the aircraft coming in better than the initial specifications in terms of fuel burn (now 17.3% lower than the E1, up from the original planned 16% improvement) and flight distance.
The manufacturer is now in the process of phasing in a hybrid production line at its facility, meaning it will be able to produce both E1 and E2 jets simultaneously, with that full capability expected to be achieved within the next two years.
The company’s larger E195-E2 aircraft is expected to enter into service with Brazil’s Azul in 2019, with the smaller E175-E2 to follow in 2021.
The E2 programme was launched at the Paris Airshow in 2013, and Slattery added that by the time of the Farnborough Airshow in July this year he was confident of having announced or being close to announcing further orders for the E2.
