Embraer has reinstated that its newest commercial jet, the E195-E2, is to enter service in the second half of 2019. Besides the launch customer Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, Spanish airline Binter Canarias is also to receive the first E195-E2 this year, the manufacturer states.
Embraer reiterated the E195-E2 plans in its financial results for the second quarter of 2019 statement, released on August 14, 2019.
According to the company, the E195-E2 flight tests revealed a 1.2% “lower than expected” fuel consumption, meaning that the new generation E195 uses 25.2% less fuel per seat compared to the current-generation E195. Embraer claims that maintenance costs of E195-E2 are also 20% lower.
The E195-E2 received Type Certification simultaneously from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil, ANAC), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in April 2019.
So far (as of June 30, 2019), Embraer has 124 firm orders of E195-E2 and 50 options. The latest orders were placed by the Nigerian airline Air Peace and carrier in-the-making Great Dane Airlines. With an order of 10 E195-E2s (and options for 20 more), Air Peace is to be the first African-registered operator of Embraer’s new-generation E-jets.
The E195-E2 is the largest commercial aircraft in Embraer’s portfolio. With a maximum range of 2,600 nautical miles, it can accommodate 120 seats in a two-class configuration or up to 146 in high-density variant. With a higher range and more seat rows than E195, the E195-E2 actually has little to do with the first generation of E-jets, as 75% of its systems are new, including engines, wing, landing gear, and full fly-by-wire.