The sale of 12 E195-E2 jets to Aerolíneas Argentinas has been suspended by the current management of the state-owned airline, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto confirmed on Thursday.
The manufacturer’s chief executive revealed that an agreement was being prepared during the government of leftist Alberto Fernández, who supported investment in the state-owned carrier.
But after the inauguration of the ultra-libertarian Javier Milei, the order was suspended, Gomes Neto said during an earnings conference call held on February 27.
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Milei intends to privatize Aerolíneas Argentinas, which has accumulated billions in losses for years, according to him.
The airline was transferred to the private sector in the 1990s, when it belonged to a local group and Iberia. However, the management was not successful and in 2008 the government renationalized it.
Replacement of Embraer E190s
Shortly before the Argentine presidential elections, the airline announced plans to acquire 12 E195-E2s that would partially replace the first-generation E190s originally received by Austral.
“We are very pleased that Aerolíneas has chosen the E195-E2 as a replacement for the E190-E1. The E2 is recognized as the quietest, most fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft available, the cheapest to maintain and the lowest travel cost in the narrow-body segment, with seat costs similar to those of larger narrow-body aircraft,” said Martyn Holmes, commercial director at Embraer in October 2023.
The order, however, never appeared in the Brazilian planemaker’s order book.
Currently, Aerolíneas Argentinas operates a fleet of 83 aircraft, including ten Airbus A330-200s, 49 Boeing 737s (12 of them from the MAX 8 series) and 24 E190s.
