Having been a popular regional jet for the past 18 years, some E-Jets have had very busy lives. We take a look at which Embraer E190s have flown the most flight cycles. Not to be confused with flight hours (the amount of time an aircraft is in the air), by definition, a flight cycle is one single flight - takeoff, cruise and landing.

Whether the flight is for 45 minutes or three hours, the length of the flight or the amount of time in the air counts as one flight cycle. Let's say a plane is flying from New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Miami International Airport (MIA) in Florida non-stop; that would count as one flight cycle. However, if it was not a non-stop flight and the plane landed en route at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), the trip down to Florida would count as two flight cycles. In other words, every time a plane takes off and lands, it counts as one flight cycle.

The most used E190 in the world

The E190 with the highest number of flight cycles is presently in the care of Cobham Aviation Services Australia. Originally delivered to Mandarin Airlines in 2007, this E190-100AR carries the registration VH-IQU. In total, it has 25,717 flight cycles.

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Cobham is a leading specialist aviation operator in Australia. Photo: Cobham

JetBlue was the launch customer for the Embraer E190

After seeing a gap in the market for a 100 seat regional jet, Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer came up with a single-aisle plane with 2-2 seating. The aircraft called the E190 was to be manufactured at Embraer's São José dos Campos, in Brazil. New York-based low-cost carrier JetBlue, was the launch customer after the David Neeleman-owned airline placed an order with Embraer for 100 E190s in 2003. JetBlue later took delivery of its first E190 in 2005.

Using information compiled by Swiss aviation data and statistics website ch-aviation, we have compiled a list of which airlines' Embraer E190s have the most flight cycles. Please note all the aircraft on the list are currently active.

JetBlue

Looking at JetBlue E-190 aircraft that are still active, the plane with the most flight cycles is N187JB with 24,205 flight cycles. The aircraft was delivered to JetBlue in 2005, and since then, it has accumulated as of March 31, 2019, 37,387.70 flight hours. Currently, the plane operates on the east coast of the United States, flying between Massachusetts and Florida.

The second JetBlue Embraer E-190 with the most flight cycles is N190JB. Delivered in 2005, it has clocked up 23,947 flight cycles. As of March 31, 2019, ch-aviation lists the plane as having 37,523.00 flight hours. Currently, the aircraft operates on the east coast of the United States, primarily out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

Of the rest of the fleet, several aircraft have racked up a high number of flight cycles, including:

  • Delivered in 2005, an E190-100AE with the registration N187JB has 24,205 flight hours.
  • Delivered in 2005, an E190 with the registration N190JB has 23,947 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2005, an E190-100AR with the registration N183JB has 23,933 flight cycles
  • Delivered in 2005, an E190-100AR with the registration N178JB has 23,662 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2005, an E190-100AR with the registration N179JB has 23,570 flight cycles.

KLM cityhopper has 30 E190s in its fleet

When KLM cityhopper, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, placed an order for its first E190s in 2007, it was to replace its aging Fokker 100s. Like the Fokker 100, the E190 was configured for 100 passengers, but unlike the Fokker, the E190 seats were 2-2 rather than 2-3. The E190 was also a roomier, quieter jet with larger windows that passengers liked.

Of the 30 Embraer E190s in the KLM cityhopper fleet, PH-EZA is the oldest at 13.4 years and the aircraft with the most flight cycles at 21,199. According to ch-aviation, as of February 28, 2019, the plane had accumulated 24,012.00 flight hours. KLM cityhopper currently uses the aircraft for short-haul destinations in Europe, acting as a feeder for KLM long-haul flights out of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).

KLM Embraer Belgrade
KLM received its first e-190 in 2008. Photo: Getty Images

Also in the cityhopper fleet are a number of E190s with more than 20,000 cycles. These are:

  • Delivered in 2008, an E190-100STD with the registration PH-EZA has 21,199 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2008, an E190-100STD with the registration PH-EZB has 20,805 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2009, an E190-100STD with the registration PH-EZC has 20,575 flight cycles.

Other high milage E190s

Within the global fleet, there are a number of other high cycle Embraer 190s, including:

Aeromexico Connect

  • Delivered to Aeromexico connect in 2007, an E190-100LR with the registration XA-BAC has 24,244 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2007 to Copa Airlines Colombia, an E190-100LR with the registration XA-ALP has 23,709 flight cycles.
  • Delivered in 2007 to Copa Airlines Colombia, an E190-100LR with the registration XA-ALL has 23,520 flight hours.
  • Delivered in 2007 to Copa Airlines Colombia, an E190-100AR with the registration VH-UYN has 21,452 flight cycles.

German Airways

  • Delivered in 2007 to Copa Airlines Colombia, an E190-100LR with the registration, D-AZFA has 24,666 flight cycles.

Metal fatigue becomes a worry

Most commercial airliners remain in service for around 20 to 30 years, but other factors have to be also considered. One of the reasons airlines talk about flight cycles is that they are the number of times the cabin has been pressurized. As an aircraft starts to get into high flight cycle numbers, there is the worry of metal fatigue. Looking at ch-aviation's data, we could not find an active E190 with more than 26,000 flight cycles.