Embraer announced the signature of a new contract with Brazil’s Trip Airlines last month for the sale of four E190s. The firm order, valued at $172 million based on list prices, brings to 24 the number of E-Jets ordered by Trip, either from Embraer directly or through leasing companies. Embraer noted that it had included one of the four E190s sold to Trip in its fourth-quarter 2010 sales totals as an order from an undisclosed customer.

This year Trip expects to take delivery of nine 110-seat E190s, thereby doubling the size of its E-Jet fleet. As of March 1 flying nine 86-seat E175s along with 33 ATR 42s and ATR 72s, Trip already owns the largest regional fleet in South America. U.S. regional airline SkyWest owns 20 percent of Campinas-based Trip.