Embraer Commercial Aviation brought together more than 50 airlines and leasing companies, and 40 suppliers and trading partners in the city of Campinas, a major city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, between October 19 and 21, for the 2015 global edition of the Embraer Operators Conference (EOC). The highlight of the event took place on October 20, when EOC participants flew to Embraer headquarters, in São José dos Campos, and visited the first prototype of the E-Jets E2, an E190-E2 model. The plane is now entering the final assembly process and EOC guests, about 400 people, were able to see firsthand the fuselage painted, and the wings already installed.

The first delivery of an E-Jet E2 (an E190-E2) is scheduled for the first half of 2018. The E195-E2 is scheduled to enter service in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020. The E-Jets E2 programme reinforces Embraer’s commitment to continuously invest in the commercial jets line of the company, and maintain market leadership in the segment of 70-130 seats, in which the E-Jets hold over 50 per cent market share in orders and 60 per cent in deliveries. Currently, the E-Jets operate with 70 airlines in some 50 countries.

Milestones of E2

January 8, 2013: Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower Geared TurbofanTM engines selected for Embraer’s second-generation of E-Jets.

February 4, 2013: Embraer selects Honeywell to provide its Primus Epic 2 integrated avionics system for the second-generation of E-Jets.

June 17, 2013: At Paris International Air Show at Le Bourget, Embraer officialy launches the new, three-aircraft programme at a press conference, led by Embraer CEO Fred Curado and Paulo Cesar Silva, the President of the Commercial Aviation division. The company revealed the name of the next-generation aircraft, E-Jets E2, and logged a sizeable number of orders from both airlines and leasing companies.

July 14, 2014: A completely redesigned cabin with unprecedented space and an innovative premium seating layout is on display at the Farnborough Air Show. UK design firm Priestmangoode contracted to develop the interior jointly with Embraer. The new E2 cabin keeps the trademark two-by-two, 18.3-inch-wide seats in economy class. The slim seats, which have no under seat support rails, give passengers more space to stow their cabin baggage or stretch out. New overhead bins are about 40 per cent larger compared to current-generation E-Jets. Space is so generous that each passenger on the aircraft can stow his/her own standard-size carry-on bag in the bins.

One of the signature design features of the E2 is an individual PSU (passenger service unit). Inspired by the automotive industry, each passenger has his/her own light and air vent that is positioned directly above the seat. Windows have been redesigned, too, to make the cabin feel larger and brighter.

The E2 cabin has options for Wi-Fi Internet connectivity and individual screens for in-flight entertainment.

Another innovation featured in the cabin mock-up is a unique welcome screen at the boarding entrance. The LED panel can display flight information, destination weather, marketing messages or whatever the airline chooses.

July 14, 2014: Embraer’s E-Jets E2 order book is growing again with a conditional order announced at the 2014 Farnborough Air Show for up to 100 E175-E2s from Trans States Holdings of St. Louis, United States. The agreement calls for 50 firm aircraft and options for an additional 50 jets. Deliveries for Trans States’ 76-seat, dual class E175-E2s are scheduled to start in June 2020.

July 15, 2014: Brazil’s Azul Linhas Aéreas which operates 82 E190s and E195s (with eleven more on order) has the largest fleet of E195s in the world. With a Letter of Intent for up to 50 new E195-E2s announced at the Farnborough Air Show, Azul is poised to grow again. The LOI also makes Azul the launch customer for the E195-E2.

With its predominantly E-Jet fleet, the carrier has focused on serving secondary markets with highfrequency, non-stop flights that have brought affordable air travel to consumers, many of whom have never flown before.

July 17, 2014: ICBC Financial Leasing Co Ltd., a whollyowned subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is adding up to 20 E190-E2s to its current asset portfolio of over 380 owned and managed aircraft.

ICBC Leasing joins AerCap of the United States as a lessor of E-Jets E2s. In 2013, AerCap announced the acquisition of up to 50 E190-E2s and up to 50 E195-E2s. The leasing community has been a strong supporter of Embraer E-Jets. Some 30 leasing companies have added E-Jets to their fleet portfolios.

Tianjin Airlines, a subsidiary of the HNA Group, is adding to its existing fleet of 50 E-Jets. The parent company announced the acquisition of an additional 20 current generation E-Jets, the first of which will be delivered in 2015, and 20 next-generation E2s.

October 17, 2014: First metal cut for the E-2 happens at Evora, Portugal.

April 15, 2015: E2 Interior wins award. The concept for the E-Jets E2 cabin interior receives the prestigious Crystal Cabin Award in the ‘Industrial Design and Visionary Concepts’ category at the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg by the Crystal Cabin Award Association in recognition of outstanding innovation in the field of aircraft cabins.