Bestfly Worldwide has taken delivery of its first Embraer E-190 from aircraft leasing company ACIA Aero Leasing (ACIA).
Bestfly is an Angolan company and charter airline that operates in both the business aviation and airline markets. Founded in 2009, Bestfly operates a fleet of three ATR-72 aircraft already leased from ACIA.
ACIA, a subsidiary of ACIA Aero Capital, is a provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services to airlines and aircraft investors. The lessor has offices in Ireland, France, South Africa and Mauritius.
According to a press statement released by ACIA, the delivery took place at Embraer’s re-delivery center in Macon, Georgia, and marks the introduction of the aircraft type to both ACIA’s portfolio and Bestfly’s fleet.
“With the lessor’s three ATR 72-600s already in operation at Bestfly, the E-190 became the fourth aircraft on lease to the airline. Bestfly also mandated ACIA to source and deliver a second E-190 as a result of prior discussions held at Dubai Airshow in November 2021,” the statement said.
News of the delivery follows Embraer’s announcement of its aircraft orders and deliveries data for the first quarter of 2022.
Mick Mooney, ACIA Aero Leasing chief executive officer said: “Bestfly continues to grow its portfolio and operational capabilities, offering a great product and service to its customers in some challenging jurisdictions.”
Mooney added that both companies share a “targeted growth mindset”.
“The E-190 is a critical part of both our companies’ growth plans in Africa and beyond. We look forward to continuing our partnership with them, adding more aircraft and types as they continue to build the airline,” said Mooney.
Bestfly’s new E-190, bearing the airline Cabo Verde livery, will enter service shortly.
“Bestfly will leverage the E-Jet’s versatility to establish much-needed connectivity from Cabo Verde into West Africa and the Azores. Bestfly will leverage the E-Jet’s versatility to establish much-needed connectivity from Cabo Verde into West Africa and the Azores,” the ACIA statement continued.
Bestfly chief executive officer, Nuno Pereira commented: “The delivery of this particular aircraft is very special for us since it is Bestfly’s first E-190 and 25th aircraft delivery. It solidifies our entry into the scheduled service segment.”
A “very important milestone” for Bestfly
Pereira said that the additional fleet capacity will help the airline increase connectivity in the region. “This is a very important milestone for Bestfly as we will support the people of Cabo Verde with reliable and efficient connectivity that is much needed for their market,” Pereira said.
According to Sameer Adam, ACIA Aero Leasing’s Senior Vice President, Commercial Bestfly will be looking for additional fleet capacity to complement its operations in the near future.
“We can expect much more growth from Bestfly through mandates for additional turboprop and regional jets in the very near future as both companies continue to implement their respective commercial strategies,” Adam said.
Embraer’s E-190 aircraft comes with three seating configurations. This includes two single classes with 100 seats and 114 seats respectively and a dual-class configuration with 96 seats. The regional aircraft has a range of 2,450 nautical miles (4,537 km).
Similar aircraft in the Embraer E-Jet family include the E-170, E-175 and E-195.