Second E-Jet Model Flying For Carrier
Big news for Embraer this week, as the Brazilian planemaker
announced the delivery of the first two Embraer 190 E-Jets to US
Airways, the first US mainline carrier to order the model. To
celebrate the introduction of the new jet, a dedication ceremony
for US Airways employees took place Thursday at Charlotte-Douglas
International Airport in Charlotte, NC.
As reported by ANN, the airline has placed firm orders for 25
Embraer 190 jets, plus 32 additional firm orders for the same
model. The new Embraer 190 -- configured with 11 first-class and 88
coach seats -- is the second E-Jet model flying the colors of US
Airways.
In 2004, US Airways Express began flying the Embraer 170, the
first member of the family. A third model, the Embraer 175, will be
added to the fleet in 2007, when Republic Airlines will be
receiving the new jets, to be operated as US Airways Express.
"Our relationship with US Airways started in June 2003, as they
were the first to order the Embraer 170 in North America," said
Maurício Botelho, Embraer’s Chairman, President and
CEO. "We are pleased to see the company offering their passengers
an aircraft of superior performance and comfort and, at the same
time, taking advantage of the flexibility offered by the E-Jets
family, with the consequent gains in operational efficiency."
Embraer states the E-Jets family has the highest ratio of spare
parts commonality in the industry -- 100% between the Embraer
170/175; 100% between the Embraer 190/195; and up to 86% among the
four model. That helps reduce parts inventories, streamlines
procedures, eases maintenance tasks, training, and increases
productivity.
"Operating aircraft from the same family will not only give us
significant cost savings due to the parts commonality, but will
also allow us to match capacity to demand and boost efficiency,"
said US Airways President Scott Kirby.
The new jets are expected to enter service on February 11 and
will initially fly between Philadelphia, PA and cities in the
Northeast such as Boston, MA; Hartford, CT; Manchester, NH and
Providence, RI. The E-190s will also fly routes out of Dallas/Fort
Worth, TX.
The Embraer 190 is the third of four members of the E-Jets
family, a new generation of aircraft optimized for the 70 to
110-seat segment. With their clean sheet design, Embraer’s
E-Jets are engineered to maximize passenger comfort with
exceptional performance and superior operating economics.
Embraer says its E-Jets set high standards for airline service
-- with spacious interior design, wide seats and aisles, as
well as excellent cabin accommodations for roll-on bags and,
especially, the absence of a middle seat.
As of September 30, 2006, the Embraer 170/190 family had logged
543 firm orders and 421 options. With more than 200 deliveries to
date, the E-Jets are currently in service in North, Central and
South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and
China.