Embraer has announced wide-ranging performance improvements and upgrades across its commercial jet family, specifically on the E175 and E2 families.
The changes across the jets include upgrades on interiors, avionics, connectivity, and seating, whilst the improvements focus on reduced fuel burn and increased range.
Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, Embraer’s President and CEO of Commercial Aviation, Arjan Meijer, noted the traction in the market for its commercial jets and said: “We aim to continually improve our aircraft and these upgrades announced today – reducing fuel burn and emissions; increasing range; improving the passenger and cabin experience; and adding new technology and connectivity – is great news both for our customers and their guests.”
E175 improvements
Following the order for 90 E175s from American Airlines, Embraer’s confidence in the jet has soared. The Brazilian OEM anticipates that 40 older regional jets a year will retire in the US until 2030 – an ideal market to offer the E175 to operators as a replacement. Since 2020, the E175 has grown 22% in service.
Following its last update in 2016, the E175’s new upgrades focus on the cabin and passenger experience, adding E2 features to the older jet. Its overhead luggage bin capacity will double to be more like the E2, fitting one bag in per customer. Mood lighting will also be available, along with new Recaro seats, as a supplier-furnished equipment (SFE) option, modernising the interior of the jet for customers.
Satellite connectivity – Ku and Ka bands – will also be available for retrofit in 2026. Avionics updates will also be available by Q4 2024, enabling wireless retrieval of flight data and digital transformation.
E2 Improvements
Fuel burn on the E190-E2 and E195-E2 has improved by 2.5%. According to Meijer, this was partly due to an improvement in the bleed management system but largely due to estimates that were “too conservative” between the E1 and E2 aircraft. The better fuel burn rates with its operators have been ratified, hence the reduction, with the improvement now worth US$1 million per aircraft.
On the engine, Embraer is introducing a new optimised climb thrust for its GTF engines, which will increase time on the wing by 10% – with plans to improve that to 20%. This optimisation is expected to save operators $o.5 million over 15 years and will be available for operators in Q1 2025.
As for range improvements, the E195-E2’s range has been boosted from 2,600 nm to 3,000 nm, helped by the new, recently certified maximum takeoff weight of 62,500 kg.
Cabin upgrades on the E195-E2 were also announced, namely, the reconfiguration of the cabin layout to fit in another row of four seats. With a reduction of some inches at the front and back of the aircraft and a reduction in some seat pitch in the middle, Embraer has optimised the cabin in answer to operators’ needs to add capacity to their existing fleet.
According to the OEM, one row of seats could generate an additional $4.5 million per aircraft over a 15-year period.
Despite these upgrades, and Meijer’s comment that he’d “never seen so much traction” in the commercial market, Embraer made no order announcements at Farnborough. However, Meijer added that whilst Embraer wasn’t ready to reveal ongoing discussions, the manufacturer did not rule out that more order announcements could be released by the end of the year.