The Embraer E2 family – Some Operating stats |

Embraer's E2 family emerged with great promise, only to be met with the negative tsunami that was Boeing's perfidious merger move. This took a toll on the E2's momentum, as it did on the entire Embraer commercial aircraft division. It has been some time since then, Embraer has bounced back, and the E2 family is seeing growing market acceptance. What do we know about the aircraft's performance? Expectations for the E2 were high because of the reputation Embraer had built from the E-Jet family. Where many other OEMs had stumbled in the "crossover jet" segment, Embraer proved it could deliver the right aircraft economics in what had been called the "aircraft graveyard." The outcome was Embraer owned the space from 100-120 seats. If you needed an aircraft that size, Embraer was the top choice. Nothing in aerospace stays the same for long. Pratt & Whitney had been working on a geared fan engine for decades and had something to offer Embraer. The GTF was accepted first by Mitsubishi, Bombardier, and UAC. By the time Airbus accepted the engine for the A320, everyone wanted a GTF. Embraer developed its E2 from a near-clean sheet - new wings, flybywire, and engines. The aircraft offered great specs. An amusing moment from the period: Embraer's commercial division was led by John Slattery, a master communicator and marketer. Your correspondent met with him in Dublin just as Boeing and Embraer started their dance. It was clear to everyone watching the space that the E2 would have a 3,000-mile range capability. This was the US transcon range, and the CSeries had this. At the time, competition was fierce between the CSeries and E2. Because Boeing had announced its MAX7, it was obvious that the E2 could not encroach on the MAX7 segment. When asked about the odd range given for the E2 at 2,800 miles, John insisted that was the maximum the E2 could offer. Now we know that E2 can indeed offer a 3,000-mile range. But at the time, John and his team at Embraer could not creep up on the MAX7. That loyalty to Boeing was unrewarded, hence our use of perfidious. Looking at data for 1H23 from Skailark, 11 E2 are in service at Finnair, KLM, and Swiss (Helvetic). This small fleet delivered 526M ASMs, over 10,000 flights, and over 15,000 block hours during the period. The typical stage length is 440 miles, with an average of 7.7 hours per day in utilization. That is a rather active fleet! When an aircraft flies under 500 miles, picture an upside-down V - a short, steep climb followed by a very short level cruise and a steep descent to the destination. This is the typical flight profile for regional flights. The aircraft see high cycles, and the engines are abused more than in other segments. It is a brutal life for the mechanicals and parts. Yet, Embraer's E2 is doing exceptionally well by the most important metric - fuel burn. The chart lists the top ten narrow body models we track. Embraer E2s are at the top of the list. Indeed, four out of the top five are Embraer E-Jets. The blue "sparklines" show the fuel burn trend 1Q19 through 2Q23. The red dot is the high point - note that the E2 sparklines are decreasing over time, particularly for the E195-E2. This model has proven to be the most popular in the range, and we can see why. Moreover, an interview with Helvetic in 2020 highlighted several points favoring the E195-E2. There is no doubt this is a fine aircraft. Embraer delivered on the promise of the E2. Even if the aircraft we are tracking here undertake what looks like regional service, they are doing it well in economic terms. A comparatively light airframe ensures the E2 has an efficient payload capability. The aircraft has a useful range that enables an operator to utilize the aircraft for several different mission profiles. Moreover, with backlogs at the tightest they have ever been, Embraer offers a quicker delivery than its competition. This is why we see Porter taking deliveries and able to deploy their fleet into new markets in the US. Porter built a good business identifying small US markets into which they could send their Dash8s. Now, with the far more capable E2, they do more and cherry-pick into Florida. Canadians are not called "snowbirds" for nothing! For similar reasons, Singapore's Scoot selected the E2. The E2 checks the right boxes. It took a while, but the market is seeing the E2 deliver on its promise.

US Flight Planner - US DoT On-Time Data	Airbus vs Boeing - Official OEM Data
US Airline Schedule Performance - US DoT Data	Daily OEM Production & Deliveries -

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