Ben Smith confirms: KLM Cityhopper E2s had a “unique smell”

Air France-KLM Group CEO Ben Smith has confirmed that the Embraer E195-E2s of KLM Cityhopper were not only grounded because of durability issues with the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofans but also because of a “unique smell.” This confirms reports AirInsight heard back in June, which stated that the grounding had nothing to do with the GTF issues.

Smith made his remark on Thursday when answering questions during the group’s Investor Day in Paris. An analyst asked the Air France-KLM management about the operational performance of the Airbus A220s and Embraer E2 with the GTF engines. The powerplants have suffered from various durability issues, while in July, production issues

surfaced with contaminated powder metal.

Commenting specifically on the E195-E2s with KLM Cityhopper, KLM CEO Marjan Rintel said: “We had some start-up problems with the Embraer, the engines of the Embraer. But we have modifications in place, we are introducing them this week and next week. We are very hopeful that this will solve the problem.”