Embraer has signed a contract with Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, for up to 15 E190-E2 family jets. The contract consists of three firm orders for the E190-E2 and purchase rights for 12 further E2 family aircraft. The airline says this flexible mix of purchase rights for E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2 will give it the ability to grow its fleet with a family of aircraft from 80 to 130+ seats, to meet market requirements.
The order has a potential list price value of up to US$873million, if all orders are converted. The three firm orders for E190-E2s were included in Embraer’s fourth quarter 2016 backlog.
Widerøe will configure the E190-E2s in a single-class layout with 114 seats. Deliveries are scheduled for 2018. This deal brings the E-Jets E2 backlog to 275 firm orders plus Letters of Intent, options and purchase rights covering another 415 aircraft giving a total of 690 commitments from airlines and leasing companies.
Stein Nilsen, Chief Executive Officer of Widerøe, said: “Our decision to choose the Embraer family of next generation E2 aircraft for our move into jet operations is based on the need for a high-quality passenger experience, ease and flexibility of operations, and lowest through life costs. The result of our evaluation determined the E2 family of aircraft, coupled with Embraer’s world class customer support, as the best solution for our airline. We’re excited at the prospect of being among the first operators of Embraer’s next generation of aircraft, which feature significant environmental improvements in both noise and fuel efficiency while still improving performance. The flexibility offered by Embraer’s family of same type rated E2 aircraft will enable us to build a right sized fleet, as a supplement to our existing fleet, in accordance with market requirements.”