Brazil’s Embraer is in the U.S. aviation news twice this week, with JetBlue retiring a fleet of E190 regional jets after years of use on regional flights and Avelo Airlines betting big on a newer and larger version, the E195 E2 to renew its fleet and grow its networks.
JetBlue is replacing the E190s mostly with Airbus A220s, which have a somewhat larger capacity, and with A320s on some denser routes. In Avelo’s case, they will extend the size of Avelo’s fleet and also allow retirement of its current fleet of used older-generation 737s.
Avelo had recently taken a step back by ending its West Coast network, at least for now, to concentrate on its East Coast operations, which have been more successful. It recently announced receiving new financing and capital to enable expansion, and probably eventually a return to the other coast. The order is for 50 E195s, with options for another 50. It will be the only U.S. airline to fly the plane.
The E195series has been a notable success for the Brazilian company in Europe and other markets, but with few sales in the U.S. That’s because it has enough seats that it it outside the agreements that allow the major airlines to operate regional flights with lower-paid crews as long as the planes are under 100 seats. That’s not an issue for Avelo. JetBlue and Delta, which have significant A220 fleets, also over 100 seats, fly them on mainline routes. The three U.S. legacy airlines do fly smaller E170 and E175 planes through their regional contract carriers.
