Embraer celebrated the triple-certification of its E195-2 today, having received nods from ANAC (the Brazilian aviation agency), the U.S. FAA, and Europe’s EASA. Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer president and CEO, praised his engineering and program teams, noting the E195-E2 joins the E190-E2 in achieving the three-tier certification hat trick. “They’ve built, and now have certification for, the most efficient single-aisle jet on the market. And they’ve done it again right on schedule and exceeding specification.” The E195-E2 tested out with fuel burn numbers 1.4 percent better than anticipated; a total of 25.4 percent better than the current-generation E195.
Indeed, Embraer counts heavily on the fuel efficiency and performance flexibility in marketing its E2 series. In the case of the E195-E2, John Slattery, president and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, told AIN, “Operational and performance specifications are something we’ve been keeping close to our chest, but with certification, we can now open up and release some comparisons.”
Compared with the Airbus A220-100, he said, the E195-E2 is 10 percent more efficient per seat; and on a per-trip basis, it is 10 percent more efficient than the A220-300. Embraer further claims its entry’s cumulative margin to ICAO Stage IV noise limit ranges from 19 to 20 EPNdB, 4.0 EPNdB better than the A220. On the maintenance side, both the E190-E2 and E195-E2 go 10,000 flight hours between basic checks with no calendar limit for typical operations. “This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilization over a period of 10 years compared to current-generation E-Jets,” said Embraer. Slattery added that overall maintenance costs are 20 percent lower. “Airlines are going to love this airplane’s economics,” he said, “The E195-E2 is the ideal aircraft for growing regional business and complementing existing low-cost and mainline fleets.”
Slattery talked about the performance advantage, citing hot-and-high range numbers from high-elevation airports such as Denver International. The E195-E2 has 900 nm more range on a summertime takeoff from Denver than its predecessor. “And from sea-level airports, the E195-E2 can take off in 1,800 meters [5,905 feet] at maximum takeoff weight compared with 2,200 meters for the E1.”
That translates to improved route flexibility, and opens up new markets for airlines, including conventional network airlines complementing their larger-aircraft fleets, but also low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers, Slattery said. He added that current Embraer customers included 70 operators in 50 countries, and the strong cockpit commonality between the E1 and E2 series gives the OEM “a strong incumbent base.”
In discussing Embraer’s 20-year market projections, Slattery said the company expects to see some 25 to 30 percent of its sales in North America (where its E175 is strongly established); 25 to 30 percent in Europe; and another 30 percent in Southeast Asia, where he said he is particularly optimistic, given the performance characteristics of the E2 series. He is also bullish on Latin America and the Middle East, where he said the E195-E2’s high-bypass Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engines “will serve well in the harsh environment.”
Finally, Slattery, who will lead the joint venture between Embraer and Boeing once the deal is completed, said that while his company now competes with Boeing’s 737 single-aisle jets, he anticipates working with Boeing on offering airlines opportunities with the matching, complementary fleets. “Boeing’s market footprint is some 400 [customers] larger than Embraer’s,” he told AIN. “I’m looking forward to getting the transaction closed and working with Boeing. Our airline customers will be the winners.”
