When it launched the E-Freighter program almost three years ago, Embraer saw a niche in the air cargo market amid the growth of e-commerce.
The plan was to convert E190 and E195 aircraft to transport cargo and thus offer an alternative to the 737 and A320 turboprops and freighter jets.
Customers soon emerged, such as the lessors NAC and Regional One, as well as a partnership with the Chinese company Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group, but since then the program has lost urgency at the manufacturer.
Follow us: WhatsApp | BlueSky | Google News | Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
In April of last year, the first converted E190F flew for the first time and was exhibited at the Farnborough Airshow four months later.
Type certifications were issued in Brazil, the USA and Europe, paving the way for the aircraft to operate.
However, only the E190F, registration N986TA, has been completed so far. And even that aircraft has not yet performed cargo flights, based on ADS-B records.
On January 25, the jet took off from Orlando, Florida, heading to Embraer’s headquarters in Brazil and has not flown since.
Launch customer postponed deal
More worrying is that Astral Aviation, from Kenya, has shown no interest in operating the aircraft. The company would be the launch customer for the E190F through the lease of two jets from NAC.
But in October 2023, Astral told STAT Trade Times that the “value proposition for the E190F” no longer met its strategy.
The issue would be the very high lease value, which was not worth it, and NAC itself told the same outlet that selling an E-Jet was sometimes more advantageous than a conversion.
Officially, Embraer has 10 conversion orders from NAC, another 10 for what is believed to be the Regional One, and 20 aircraft with Lanzhou.
Seeking partners for conversion
In January, Arjan Meijer, CEO of Embraer’s commercial aviation division, told Flight Global that the company was looking for MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) partners to take on the P2F (Passenger to Cargo) conversion work.
The CEO claimed that such companies may have a better dynamic to perform the conversion since it is done during the C-Check and can take about three months.
Meijer also cited the issue of obtaining feedstock more easily, which is in line with the claim that the E-Freighter can be an expensive aircraft.
Embraer sees potential to convert about 100 of the 600 E190s and 195s currently in operation. In addition to the E190F, which can carry up to 10.7 tons of cargo, there are plans for the E195F, capable of handling 12.3 tons.
However, no E195Fs appear to be in the process of conversion, as far as has been reported.
Another factor that could work against the program is the booming market for used passenger aircraft. Amid delays in deliveries of new planes, used jets are being sought by several airlines and leasing companies.
