Ten months after the first flight of the E190-E2, Embraer performed the inaugural flight of another member of the E2 family on 29th March. The E195-E2, the largest aircraft in the family took off for the first time just three weeks after the roll-out.
The aircraft departed at 11:22 a.m., local time, from Embraer’s facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, and flew for two hours. The flight crew evaluated aircraft performance, flight quality and systems behavior, such as autopilot, fly-by-wire in direct mode, and landing gear retraction.
Embraer will use two aircraft for the E195-E2 certification campaign. The first prototype will be used for aerodynamic and performance tests. The second prototype, which will also make its inaugural flight by the end of this year, will be used for the validation of maintenance tasks and of the cabin interior.
The aircraft can be configured with 120 seats in two classes, or up to 146 in a single class, thanks to three additional rows of seats compared to the current-generation E195.
The new aircraft also offers 450 nautical miles more range, which allows trips of up to 2,450 nautical miles.
According to Embraer, the E195-E2 offers a 20% lower cost per trip and a cost per seat similar to larger aircraft. The company says the E2 version will save up to 24% in fuel and 20% in maintenance costs per seat, compared to the current E195.
Some of the savings will come from the Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofan engines, but most will stem from optimization of the aircraft’s structure and systems.
The new jet is scheduled to enter into service with Azul Brazilian Airlines in the first half of 2019, one year after the E190-E2. The entry into service of the third member of the family, the E175-E2 (80-88 seats), was recently pushed back by one year, to 2021.
Embraer currently has 275 firm orders for the E2 family, including 90 for the E195-E2.