Embraer has extended the pause in the development program for the E175-E2, a 90-seat regional jet that is the smallest member of the E2 family.
The planemaker now expects to resume development activities within four years, in other words, 2029. The expected entry into service will be rescheduled, but Embraer did not provide a specific date.
The pause is due to the scope clause that exists between the major U.S. airlines and the crew union to prevent higher-demand routes from being passed on to feeder companies, which pay lower wages.
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Under the agreement, jet aircraft can only be operated by regional carriers linked to major groups such as American, Delta and United if they do not exceed 76 seats and 86,000 pounds (39,000 kg) of maximum takeoff weight.
The E175-E2 exceeds the second requirement since Embraer bet that the restrictions would be relaxed, which did not happen. The aircraft can carry up to 90 passengers in a single-class layout and take off with almost 99,000 pounds (44,800 kg).
Third pause
Embraer planned to debut the E175-E2 in 2021 as a replacement for the E175, its most successful commercial aircraft in the company’s history.
The E175-E2 is equipped with high-performance Pratt & Whitney PW1700G engines, completely redesigned wings, 100% electronic controls (fly-by-wire) and a new landing gear. Compared to the first-generation E175, 75% of the E2 model’s systems are new, according to Embraer.
According to the manufacturer, the aircraft has up to 16% lower fuel and 25% lower maintenance costs per seat compared to the first-generation model.
The prototype of the jet flew for the first time in December 2019, but amid the pandemic, the manufacturer announced the first pause, pushing the entry into service to 2023.
In February 2022, Embraer announced the second pause in development, lasting three years, completed this month. At the time, it predicted that the E175-E2 would enter service between 2027 and 2028.
If the same understanding is followed, the third pause will put the aircraft on track to debut in 2031 or 2032.
Until 2018, the E175-E2 had 100 firm orders, according to Embraer, but the backlog was zeroed as of the third quarter of that year.
While there is no prospect of changes in the scope clause restrictions, Embraer continues to improve the first-generation E175, which had 164 aircraft pending delivery by the end of 2024.
