Is Embraer's E175 The US' Most Used Single-Aisle Aircraft?

Embraer

Stock Code:

ERJ

Date Founded:

1969-08-19

CEO:

Francisco Gomes Neto

Headquarters Location:

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Key Product Lines:

Embraer 170, Embraer 175, Embraer 190, Embraer 195, Embraer 175-E2, Embraer 190-E2, Embraer 195-E2

Business Type:

Planemaker

Embraer's E175 aircraft is the most popular single-aisle aircraft with up to 90 seats in the United States. Last week, Simple Flying was invited to Embraer's facilities in Brazil. In a presentation to the media, Arjan Meijer (President & CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation) discussed the importance of the E175 in the airline industry.

Strong demand for the Embraer E175

The Embraer E175 is part of the E Jet family of Embraer aircraft and can seat 78 to 88 passengers. Its first maiden flight was in 2003 in Brazil, and since then, Embraer has received orders for more than 600 of the E175. There are currently three versions of the 175 that Embraer manufactures, standard (STD), long-range (LR), and advanced range (AR). The E175AR was introduced in 2007 and offers a higher payload capacity and more extended range.

Arjan Meijer, CEO & President of Embraer Commercial Aviation addressed the media at last week's event and stated that Embraer expects to produce between 60-70 commercial aircraft this year. Photo: Embraer

According to Meijer, there is still a strong demand for the E175, and Embraer will continue to manufacture the E175 E1 until it can move on with the E2 program. The 175 E2 program is currently halted because of scope clause developments that have not occurred over the last few years. Meijer added that, since 2013, the E175's market share has been very significant. Worldwide, the E175 has 63% of the market share. In the United States, the E175 has 86% of the market share of net orders in the up to 90 seat segment.

During his presentation, Meijer stated that there are more than 600 E175 flying in the United States, but there are only 557 active E175s in the US, according to ch-aviation. The E175 had the highest utilization rate of single-aisle aircraft, up to 90 seats during the last two years.

"...it (the strength of the E175) came back very rapidly for the segment. Airlines really leaning on the small capacity aircraft to rebuild their networks, and you see the 175 leading the pack." - Arjan Meijer, President & CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation

Meijer referenced data showing the percentage of the fleet in service of the E175 and compared it with the CRJ900. The data showed about a 10% gap between the usage of the E175 and CRJ900 fleets, the E175 being the most used aircraft. In March, 98% of all E175s were used in the United States, compared to only 85% for the CRJ 900.

E175 in June 2022

According to data pulled from aviation analytics firm Cirium, the E175 has been operated on almost twice as many flights as the CRJ in the United States during the first week of June. In the first week of June, the E175 was used on 10,109 flights, compared to the CRJs' 6,503 flights. The number of seats offered by the E175 during the first week of June is more than double what the CRJ offered. The E175 had 768,284 available seats, and the CRJ had 325,150.

Let's break down those 10,109 flights by marketing airline. The reason for looking at the marketing airline is that in the United States, most mainline airlines have subsidiaries that operate flights on their behalf, so the operating airlines have different names. American Airlines led the way with 6,223 flights on the E175 last week. American is followed by Alaska Airlines, which has 2,292 flights. Third is Delta Air Lines, with 1,290. Air Canada has 304 flights and is included in this light because it operates flights to/from the United States with Embraer Aircraft.

We were not allowed to photograph Embraer's production facilities, so this photo of last week's event was provided to us. This is Embraer's final assembly line hangar, and in the back left corner is an E175 almost ready to be delivered to Horizon Air. Photo: Embraer

As mentioned above, Embraer has an E175 E2 program currently placed on hold, and the demand for the E1 remains strong. Just last week, I saw multiple aircraft at Embraer's factory that were in production and going to be delivered to SkyWest, Horizon Air, and American Eagle. The E2 family includes the 190E2 and 195E2, the most fuel-efficient commercial aircraft on the market. Embraer is waiting patiently to resume its E175 E2 program but is pleased with the continued demand for the E175 E1.

Have you ever flown on an E175? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments.

Sources: ch-aviation, Cirium