Embraer is pushing U.S. carriers to embrace its E2 family of regional jets, according to CEO Francisco Gomes Neto.
He told Reuters during a recent interview that Embraer has been marketing the E195-E2 jet to U.S. airlines as a “small narrow-body.” The U.S. market is the world’s largest market for regional airliners, but pilot union “scope clauses” have prevented carriers from adopting larger regional jets. U.S.-based regional airlines continue to order the less-efficient 88-seat E175-E1 instead because it complies with union contracts.
Embraer took in orders for 23 E175-E1 jets from U.S. airlines in the third quarter, including orders from American Airlines and SkyWest. Gomes Neto believes new flights to U.S. destinations by Canada’s Porter Airlines, a major customer for E2 jets, could demonstrate the aircraft’s utility for U.S. airlines.
“It’s a very efficient aircraft. When you fly it with an 80% load factor it’s very, very profitable, and that’s the point we’ve been trying to show the U.S. majors,” he told Reuters.
Douglas Royce covers the aviation gas turbine and military markets at Forecast International, a market research firm that forecasts annual production across a wide range of aerospace and defense systems.
