Alliance Airlines E190s debuted on QantasLink in May, but Australia’s largest airline is already certain that Embraer’s regional jets are a good solution for its domestic routes.
As a result, Qantas and Alliance announced on Thursday the expansion of the aircraft leasing agreement from 14 to 18 units.
In February, the Australian carrier decided to use the 94-seat E190s to release Boeing 737-800 jets for other routes. The first three planes began flying from Adelaide last month and another five Embraer aircraft will be handed over to QantasLink in October.
“Expanding our long-standing relationship with Alliance gives us access to a different aircraft type without spending any capital. The E190 is perfect for connecting capital cities and regional centers. Its size, range and economics have already let us start seven new routes that wouldn’t ‘t have worked with our existing fleet,” said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.
The airline, however, did not reveal when the remaining 10 planes will be used, but said all jets will receive QantasLink livery soon.
Alliance Airlines is a company dedicated to charter flights and wet lease in Australia. It is the largest operator of the Fokker 100, a Dutch regional jet whose manufacturer went bankrupt in 1997.
Due to the lack of available aircraft from Fokker, Alliance chose the E-Jets as an alternative to expand its fleet in 2020. In December, the company acquired another batch of second-hand aircraft, reaching a total of 30 jets.
