skywest
PRÂ – SkyWest, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic agreement as an equity investor in Maeve Aerospace, reinforcing its commitment to the advancement of modern, economic regional aviation
solutions.
“SkyWest is committed to leading our industry forward, and we’re pleased to invest in Maeve as the
leading edge of technological, sustainable advancements for regional aviation,” said Chip Childs,
SkyWest, Inc. President and CEO.
As part of the agreement, SkyWest will have exclusive Maeve launch customer rights. SkyWest will
lend Maeve its extensive operations, performance, and design expertise through the development
phase. The partnership also enhances SkyWest’s long-term fleet replacement strategy.
“Today marks a significant milestone in regional aviation as we collaborate with SkyWest to bring
the MAEVE Jet to life,” said Martin Nuesseler, Maeve Chief Technology Officer. “This investment,
made by the largest regional airline in the world, not only validates our vision but also establishes a
partnership that supports the development of the MAEVE Jet by providing important input from an
operator to generate a real impact in the market and for more sustainable air travel. Together, we
are redefining the future of regional connectivity.”
MHIRJ Senior Vice President of Business Development, Strategy, and Communications Ross
Mitchell added, “We are excited about SkyWest’s endorsement of the MAEVE Jet, which marks a
significant milestone in the transformative potential of hybrid electric regional aircraft. This
partnership underscores their commitment to innovation in aviation and highlights our shared vision
for a sustainable future. At MHIRJ, we look forward to collaborating closely to enhance regional
travel by combining our expertise and resources.”
Notes:
- At last! Here’s the first shot fired in the battle against the Scope Clause and the tyranny of not allowing a new regional aircraft into the market.
- This is huge industry news. For any OEM to win in the regional airline space, you used to need to sell to a US-based regional, and the first prize is SkyWest.
- SkyWest was one of the first regional airlines to order the Mitsubishi SpaceJet. That went nowhere thanks to the myopic Scope Clause.
- But the former Bombardier CRJ team is now MHIrj and is supporting Maeve. Here is a video from the recent Paris show where Maeve announced Japan Airlines as a customer. SkyWest is, by an order of magnitude, more significant.
The following chart explains what the market needs. A 500-mile range is typically what the market needs.
This deal throws down a gauntlet to Embraer, which will have to respond. Its ERJ-175 has no competition, and that is now changing. Provided that Maeve delivers, but the participation of MHIrj ameliorates against this.
Meave plans to deliver a significant improvement in fuel burn, mainly based on its still-secret Pratt & Whitney Canada open rotor.
Embraer could respond quickly because it could deploy the same engine, though how this would work on an underwing location has to be proven. How Embraer reacts, with a tweak or a new design, will be interesting. Bear in mind the ERJ-175 design is 20 years old.
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