Embraer’s Commercial Aviation team has said that it expects a bumper Farnborough Air Show and that demand for its E-Jets is back and stronger than ever – particularly for the E175.
During a presentation at its Media Day in Sao Jose dos Campos on 19 June, Embraer’s Vice President of Commercial Aircraft, Rodrigo Silva de Souza, said the E175, from a passenger demand standpoint, was “fully recovered”.
Demand in the US for this type has increased in the last year, following American Airlines’ order for 133 Embraer jets in March 2024, comprising 90 E175s, with purchase rights for an additional 43.
Embraer anticipates that by 2030, 300-plus 76-seater aircraft – roughly 40 aircraft per year – will retire in the US. As the only 70-seat regional jet still in production that meets the exacting US scope clause, this prediction will surely open a lucrative market for the manufacturer to take advantage of. Embraer’s CEO, Francisco Gomes Neto, confirmed that Embraer is already “in talks” with customers for new orders.
“We see other carriers [in the US] also looking for more aircraft, adding more E175s, going forwards. So American was very important to mark and say there’s a return of the regional market here in the US,” de Souza added.
Photo: Embraer
A revamped E175-E1; no sign of an E2 variant
Questions around the possibility of an E175-E2 variant were raised to Embraer’s CEO, Francisco Gomes Neto, who downplayed the possibility of any changes made to the regional jet.
“We wish we could re-engine it,” he said to assembled reporters, “but we’ve seen the market, and we don’t see this change in the short and medium term; this is a discussion between the US main lines and the Pilots Association.”
However, Gomes Neto didn’t crush the dreams of seeing an E175-E2 in the skies entirely. “On the other hand, we are selling E175-E1s; we are seeing the demand increase. So we are taking advantage of the situation, and we have this project in mind, in case we see possible signs of the scope clause moving.”
Still, interest in the E175-E1 version continues. Ahead of the Farnborough Air Show, de Souza hinted at what the plane maker is working on to make the E175 a more attractive, long-term product for US regional airlines, including improving the jet’s interiors, adding more connectivity options and more avionics functionalities.
“To reach the level of connectivity that the US market demands, the E175 is key,” he explained. “We see [the E175] as a key platform for us for commercial aviation, and we want to keep it competitive in the market”, de Souza elaborated.
According to Embraer, since the E175 entered into the market, it has improved fuel burn by 6.4% and currently serves around 224 cities in the US – operating to approximately 5x more cities per aircraft than narrowbodies.
