What if you are told that you can operate an aircraft which has a lesser operating cost per flight and marginally higher cost per seat than the other aircraft operating in the country? Ideally, that should be the first choice for any operator! Unfortunately, though, that has not been the case with the regional jets or small narrowbody jets as they are now known, at least in India. Until Bombardier came up with the C-series, later acquired by Airbus and renamed the A220, Embraer was the sole operator in the middle of the market. Bombardier always had its presence in the market with the CRJs and with the MD-80s sliding out of the market, it remained the mainstay.
Cut to the current times, the smaller jet market has evolved. It is now a duopoly between Airbus with the A220-100 and A220300 and the Embraer E2 family comprising the E190-E2, E195-E2 and yet-to-be-certified E175-E2.
In November 2022, Embraer flew their iconic flagship E195-E2 in the "Tech lion" livery to Mumbai. The aircraft was on a special Asia tour, starting with the presence in China, followed by a trip to Japan and Vietnam and then making a quick stop in Mumbai. The aircraft flew to Kolhapur, a small town in Maharashtra and thus became the largest aircraft ever to land at this tiny airport. The significance? Kolhapur is the home to Star Group of Companies, also the operator of Star Air- the only Embraer operator in India! Rumour mills had it that the airline placed an order for the plane when Embraer announced an unnamed operator signing up for the aircraft. These were later attributed to Binter- an airline based in the Canary Islands. Star Air doubled up its E175s (E1) by signing up for two more planes, the first of which is slated to join anytime.
A look at the Embraer E2 family
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Cruising Heights.
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This story is from the February 2023 edition of Cruising Heights.
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