Embraer again postponed the E175-E2 jet program, this time for three years. In a statement to shareholders and the financial market, the manufacturer revealed that the Board of Directors approved a pause in the development of the aircraft.
Due to the change, Embraer rescheduled the entry into service of the E175-E2 for the interval between 2027 and 2028.
The company attributed the suspension to the “ongoing US mainline scope clause discussions with the pilot unions regarding the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) limitation for aircraft with up to 76 seats, together with current global market conditions for commercial aviation.”
Embraer also considered that the continued interest of US airlines in the first-generation E175 contributed to ratifying the decision. The 76-seat aircraft is the only one currently in production that meets the scope clauses.
The E175-E2 was designed with a view to a possible change in the rules that limit the use of jets by regional airlines linked to major US carriers.
The jet can carry up to 90 passengers in a single class or 80 passengers in three classes. Its maximum take-off weight of 98,120 lbs (44,600 kg) also far exceeds the scope clause, limited to 86,000 lbs (39,000 kg).
This is the third time that Embraer has delayed the E175-E2 schedule. In 2020, the company announced that the plane would not debut in 2021, but in 2023. Last year, the forecast was again postponed, this time to 2024.
The E175-E2 currently has no customers, after an order for 100 aircraft by Skywest Airlines was pulled from the order backlog in the face of lack of prospects for changes to the scope clause.
