Belarusian carrier Belavia took delivery of its very first Embraer E195-E2 yesterday, December 21st. The new generation of regional jet is the first of three that will go to Belavia via lease by AerCap. These new jets will join the airline's existing fleet of seven first-generation E195s and five E175s.

 “It’s great to welcome another airline to the E2 family of operators. As airlines’ ramp up their operations, the E195-E2 is perfectly positioned to right size routes previously operated by narrowbodies, while keeping frequencies and adjusting capacity to new levels...We look forward to supporting Belavia as they continue to upgrade their offering to their customers." - Cesar Pereira, vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Embraer Commercial Aviation, as per a press release seen by Simple Flying.

Order placed in 10 months ago

It wasn't too long ago that Belavia signed for the three E2s. The signing ceremony took place on February 20th of 2020 and involved Belavia CEO Gusarov A.N. and AerCap's President & Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Scruggs.

This first aircraft appears to be on schedule as it was initially announced that delivery would take place in December 2020, as well as March and April 2021 for the next two.

These aircraft will join Belavia's existing Embraer fleet, consisting of seven first-generation E195s and five E175s. These aircraft are already quite new themselves, with data from Planespotters.net indicating an average age of 3.3 years for the E195 jets and 4.3 years for the smaller E175 aircraft.

“We congratulate the team at Belavia on the delivery of their first E195-E2. We wish Belavia every success as they continue to modernize their fleet.” - Philip Scruggs, President and Chief Commercial Officer at AerCap, as per the release.

E195-E2 Belavia
Each member of the E2 family has a specifically designed wing, increasing fuel efficiency. Photo: Embraer

Belavia's E2-195 layout

Named the "salon concept," Belavia says its economy class 2-2 seat configuration will offer passengers a "maximum of comfort." Up in business class, passengers will enjoy wider seats with a 2-1 layout.

"All Embraer-195 airliners have a new type of business class lounge with rigid partition, comfortable seats and enlarged distance between rows," Belavia notes.

This two-class configuration will allow a total capacity of 125 passengers: Seating nine passengers in business class and 116 in economy class.

“Belavia’s passengers love our current Embraer aircraft and I hope they will love the next generation E2 even more. The E2 offers Belavia lower operating costs, as well as the lowest impact on the environment. At Belavia we like to keep our fleet young and fresh; with the addition of the E195-E2 we can take more passengers, further, in greater comfort, and more efficiently – the E2 is the perfect fit,” - Anatoly Gusarov, CEO, Belavia, according to the statement.

E195-E2 Belavia
Belavia is also updating its short-haul fleet with new Embraer 195-E2 jets. Photo: Embraer

Belavia is planning to deploy its new aircraft on some of its popular routes. These include London (UK), Barcelona (Spain), Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), Munich (Germany), Paris (France), Sochi (Russia), and Amsterdam (Netherlands).

Older aircraft leaving Belavia?

At the same time the airline is receiving its new Embraer jet, some of its older 737s appear to be departing the airline. Having already been withdrawn from use, the two 737-500s and one 737-300 flew to the United States via Keflavik on December 21st. The aircraft are being returned to their lessor.

Have you flown with Belavia before? Share your experience of the airline by leaving a comment.