Embraer E2 Jets

[Rode Strawther]

The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ERJ family, Embraer's first jet-powered regional jet. Designed to carry between 66 and 124 passengers, it was larger than any prior aircraft built by the company. The project's existence was revealed in early 1997 and was formally introduced at the Paris Air Show two years later. On 19 February 2002, the first prototype E-Jet conducted its maiden flight; later that year, quantity production of the type commenced. In early March 2004, the first E170 deliveries were made to LOT Polish Airlines. Larger versions of the aircraft, the E190 and E195, debuted later in 2004, while a slightly stretched version of the E170 was introduced in mid-2005 as the E175.

The E-Jet series has been a commercial success primarily due to its ability to efficiently serve lower-demand routes while offering many of the same amenities and features of larger jets. Initial teething issues were quickly overcome and Embraer rapidly expanded product support for better global coverage. The E-Jet family is commonly used by both mainline and regional airlines around the world and has become particularly popular with regional airlines in the United States. It has also served as the basis for the Embraer Lineage 1000 business jet. During the 2010s, Embraer developed a second generation, the E-Jet E2 family, with more fuel-efficient engines. However, as of 2023[update], the first generation E175 remains in production, to fulfill demand from regional airlines in the United States, which cannot use the newer generation due to scope clause restrictions.

During the 1990s, the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer had introduced the ERJ family, its first jet-powered regional jet.[2] As demand for the ERJ series proved strong even early on, the company decided that it could not rely on one family of aircraft alone and examined its options for producing a complementary regional jet, including designs that would be larger and more advanced than its preceding aircraft.[3][4]

During March 1997, Embraer made its first public disclosure that it was studying a new 70-seat aircraft, which was initially referred to as the EMB 170; this reveal was issued concurrently with the announcement of the development of the ERJ 135.[5] As originally conceived, the EMB 170 was to feature a new wing and larger-diameter fuselage mated to the nose and cockpit of the ERJ 145.[6] The proposed derivative would have cost $450 million to develop.[7]While Alenia, Aerospatiale and British Aerospace through AI(R) were studying the Airjet 70 based on the ATR 42/72 fuselage for a 2,200 km (1,200 nmi; 1,400 mi) range, AI(R) and Embraer were studying a joint development of a 70-seater jet since their separate projects were not yet launched.[8]

In February 1999, Embraer announced it had abandoned the derivative approach in favour of an all-new design.[9][3] On 14 June 1999, the E-Jet family was formally launched at the Paris Air Show,[10] initially using the twin designations ERJ-170 and ERJ-190; these were subsequently changed to Embraer 170 and Embraer 190 respectively. The launch customers for the airliner were the French airline Rgional, which placed ten orders and five options for the E170, and the Swiss airline Crossair, which had ordered 30 E170s and 30 E190s.[11]

During July 2000, production of components for the construction of both the prototype and test airframes began.[9] Difficulties with the advanced avionics selected for the aircraft, supplied by the American company Honeywell, led to delays in the development schedule; originally, the first flight had been set to take place during 2000.[12] On 29 October 2001, the first prototype PP-XJE was rolled out at So Jos dos Campos, Brazil.[13][10]

On 19 February 2002, the first prototype performed its maiden flight, marking the beginning of a multi-year flight test campaign involving a total of six prototypes.[14] In May 2002, the aircraft was displayed to the public at the Regional Airline Association convention. During that same year, full-rate production of the E-Jet commenced; this activity was centred around a recently-completed factory built by Embraer at its So Jos dos Campos base.[15]

After a positive response from the airline community, Embraer launched the E175, which stretched the fuselage of the E170 by 1.78 metres (5.8 ft).[16] During June 2003, the first flight of the E175 took place.[17] In April 2003, jetBlue placed an order for 100 Embraer 190s, the deliveries of which commenced two years later.[18]

In 2008, the 400th E-jet was delivered to Republic Airways in the United States.[20] In September 2009, the 600th E-jet was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines.[21]On 10 October 2012, Embraer delivered the 900th E-Jet to Kenya Airways, its 12th E-Jet.[22] On 13 September 2013, the delivery of the 1,000th E-Jet, an E175 to Republic Airways for American Eagle, was marked by a ceremony held at the Embraer factory in So Jos dos Campos, with a special "1,000th E-Jet" decal above the cabin windows.[20][23]

On 18 December 2018, Embraer delivered the 1,500th E-Jet, an E175 to Alaska Air subsidiary Horizon Air, as Embraer claims an 80% market share of the North American 76-seaters. By this point, the fleet had completed 25 million flight hours in 18 million cycles (an average of 1.4 h) with a 99.9% dependability.[25]

In November 2011, Embraer announced that it would develop revamped versions of the E-Jet to be called the E-Jet E2 family. The new jets would feature improved engines that would be more fuel efficient and take advantage of new technologies.[26] Beyond the new engines, the E2 family would also feature new wings, improved avionics, and other improvements to the aircraft. The move came amid a period of high global fuel costs and better positions Embraer as competitors introduced new and more fuel efficient jets, including the Mitsubishi Regional Jet.[27] The new aircraft family also includes a much larger variant, the E195-E2 capable of carrying between 120 and 146 passengers. This jet better positions Embraer against the competing Airbus A220 aircraft. The PW1000G was previously selected for use on competing aircraft.

In January 2013, Embraer selected the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan engine to power the E2 family.[28][29] On 28 February 2018, The E190-E2 received its type certificate from the ANAC, FAA and EASA.[30] It was scheduled to enter service in the second quarter of 2018.[31]

The Embraer E-Jet family is composed of two main commercial families and a business jet variant. The smaller E170 and E175 make up the base model aircraft, while the E190 and E195 are stretched versions, being powered by different engines and furnished with larger wing, horizontal stabilizer and landing gear structures. From the onset, the E-Jet had been designed to be stretched.[12] The E170 and E175 share 95% commonality, as do the E190 and E195; the two families share near 89% commonality, maintaining identical fuselage cross-sections and avionics fitouts.[18] The E190 and E195 possess capacities similar to the initial versions of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 737. All members of the E-Jet family are available in baseline, long range (LR), and advanced range (AR) models, the latter being intended for long routes with limited passenger numbers.[32]

The smaller members of the E-Jet family are powered by the General Electric CF34-8E turbofan engine, each capable of generating up to 14,200 lbf (63 kN) of thrust, while the stretched aircraft are outfitted with the more powerful General Electric CF34-10E, capable of producing a maximum of 20,000 lbf (89 kN) thrust.[32] These engines have been designed to minimise noise and emission outputs, exceeding the requirements established by the International Civil Aviation Organization;[33] the relatively low acoustic signature has enabled the E-Jet to be operated from airports that have imposed strict noise restrictions, such as London City Airport.[34] The type is also equipped with winglets that reduce fuel burn and thereby improve operational efficiency.[33][35]

The E-Jet family is equipped with a fly-by-wire flight control system.[12] The flight deck is furnished with the Honeywell Primus Epic Electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) suite and has been designed to facilitate a common type rating, enabling flight crews to be readily moved between different members of the family without the need for any retraining/recertifying and providing greater flexibility to operators.[36] Early operations of the E-Jet were frequently troubled by avionics issues; by September 2008, Honeywell had issued software updates that sought to rectify the encountered issues.[37]

The main cabin is configured with four-abreast seating (2+2) as standard, and features a "double-bubble" design that Embraer has purpose-developed for its commercial passenger jets to provide stand-up headroom.[4] The dimensions of the cabin were intentionally comparable to the narrowbody airliners of Airbus and Boeing to permit greater comfort levels than most regional aircraft.[4] Considerable attention to detail was reportedly paid by Embraer to elevating the type's passenger appeal.[32] Many operators have chosen to outfit their aircraft with amenities such as Wi-Fi and at-seat power outlets. The windows of the E-Jet family are relatively large at 185 sq in (0.119 m2) in comparison to most contemporary airliners, such as the 175 sq in (0.113 m2) windows of the Boeing 787.[35]

United and SkyWest have begun retrofitting their jointly operated E175 aircraft with larger "wheels first" overhead bins which can accommodate up to an extra 29 bags, an 80 percent increase in space. The airlines will modify 50 aircraft with the new bins in 2024, and if successful, plan to retrofit more than 150 aircraft by the end of 2026.[38][39]

During July 2005, the first E175 was delivered to Air Canada, entering revenue service with the airline that same month.[44] In April 2013, Air Canada begun the transfer of its 15-strong E175 fleet to subsidiary Sky Regional Airlines, this reorganisation was completed during September 2013.[45] By July 2020, approximately 25 million passengers had flown on the Canadian fleet over a cumulative 650,000 flight hours, while a total of 25 E175s were in service on both domestic and transborder flights into the US, which were then being flown under the Air Canada Express branding.[44] In March 2021, Air Canada announced its intention to consolidate all regional flying under the Jazz branding, thereby ending its affiliation between Sky Regional Airlines and Air Canada; accordingly, all of the E175s were transferred to Jazz.[46]

c80f0f1006