Embraer’s latest Profit Hunter aircraft, the E195-E2, is going on a world tour. In keeping with Embraer’s previous strategies, it has kicked off its trip in China, landing at Xiamen today. Although the full schedule is yet to be released, we expect to see it in Africa, Europe and the US over the course of the next few months.
Following the unveiling of the E195-E2 at the Paris Air Show, Embraer are taking the aircraft on a world tour. The eye catching ‘TechLion’ livery made its debut in China today. Appearing in Xiamen, the largest of the Profit Hunter aircraft will continue to make stops around China and Asia Pacific throughout July and August.
John Slattery, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said in a press release,
“We are delighted to start the global demo tour of the E195-E2, the biggest aircraft ever developed by Embraer, with our Chinese customers. Airlines will love the E2’s exceptional economics and efficiency, greater operational flexibility and unmatched passenger comfort. As the most efficient single-aisle jet in the market, the E195-E2 is the ideal aircraft for growing regional business and complementing existing low-cost and mainline fleets.”
Embraer picked China as a launchpad for the E195-E2 due to the massive passenger growth in the nation. They say that the demand for domestic travel between second and third tier cities will “create great market potential for aircraft with up to 150 seats”.
Going on a world tour
In a bid to drum up new customers for the E195-E2, Embraer are undertaking a world tour, which begins in the China and Asia Pacific region. Although the full schedule of tour stops is yet to be revealed, we have some pretty strong clues as to where they’ll be going.
World tours are something of a staple for Embraer, having taken their shark liveried E190-E2 on a tour last year. That one began in Farnborough at the Air Show, whereas the E195-E2 began in Paris. Nonetheless, we expect the tour to cover many of the same areas.
The E190 tour visited 39 countries and 68 cites over a 125,000nmi route. It began its journey in China, flying to 11 cities in 20 days. It then completed a tour of Africa, including visits to Algiers, Morocco, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Ghana. It went on to visit numerous destinations in the US, and finally 15 in Europe.
Embraer were keen to show the capabilities of the E190-E2 on the tour, deliberately visiting some of the most challenging airports in the world. These included the incredibly short runway at London City Airport, as well as high altitudes in Tibet and Nepal and very remote locations including Kiribati in Micronesia.
Similarly, Embraer will be wanting to show off the capabilities of the E195-E2 in challenging circumstances. We expect it to make an appearance at London City, and absolutely to spend a fair bit of time in Africa. It will be great to see that stunning livery doing the rounds in the avgeek world!
Most environmentally friendly in its class
According to Embraer, the E195-E2 is the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class. It has very low external noise, around 4.0EPNdB lower than its nearest competitor. As well as this, it burns more than 25% less fuel than its predecessor, the E195, while having a greater payload. With a full passenger load, the E195-E2 can reach up to 2,600nmi, which is 600nmi further than the original E195.
Embraer think the jet will be a win for operators, particularly where ongoing maintenance costs are a concern. The aircraft has been designed with 10,000 flight hours between basic checks, the longest of any single aisle jet. We previously speculated on how it could be a great fit for Africa, but there are many more markets that could benefit from this jet too.
Seating up to 146 passengers in a single class arrangement, or 120 in two classes, the E195-E2 is ideal for mid-range, thinner routes. For airlines looking for point to point missions, it offers a solid performance base and a worthy alternative to the larger A320 and 737 families.
Having achieved certification from three major regulatory authorities in April (the FAA, EASA and ANAC) the aircraft is ready to go. Launch customer is Brazil’s Azul Linhas Aereas Brasilierias, who are due to receive the jet in the second half of this year. In Europe, Spanish airline Binter will be the first to receive the jet.
