Brazilian manufacturer Embraer issued a statement today saying that it had delivered a total of 22 jet aircraft in the first quarter of 2021. The planemaker said that, of the recent deliveries, nine of the aircraft were commercial jets, and 13 were executive jets.
The E2 dominates aircraft deliveries
Of the nine aircraft delivered in the first quarter of 2021, seven were the new and improved E2 variant. Two of the smallest E190-E2s were delivered, both of which went to the Swiss regional carrier Helvetic Airways. The airline is expecting delivery of four E195-E2s in the next quarter, arriving throughout June and July.
Of the five larger E195-E2, three went to KLM's regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper. It received its first two E195-E2 jets in February and its third earlier this month. The airline is awaiting the fourth E195-E2 likely to come in the next quarter. KLM Cityhopper E2 jets are configured in a 2-2 layout and can accommodate 132 passengers.
During the same period, West Africa's largest airline Air Peace received its first two E195-E2 aircraft. The Nigerian airline is the launch customer for the E2 in Africa and is also the first airline to get Embraer's innovative premium staggered seating design.
The staggered seating design is used in the E2 when airlines want to have their planes configured in a two-class layout.
By staggering the seats, it allows direct aisle access for business class passengers. Air Peace received the E2 jets in January and March and has a further three on order with the Brazilian planemaker.
Aside of the E2, just two E175 were also delivered in the quarter. Both went to Republic Airlines to fly on behalf of American Eagle.
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A slightly shrunken backlog
Overall, with 22 aircraft leaving the factory when executive jets are included, Embraer had a better Q1 this year, Last year, just 14 were delivered as the pandemic began to eat into airlines' appetites for new aircraft.
With airlines reluctant to place new orders in the current climate, it's no surprise that Embraer's backlog has shrunken slightly. From $15.9 billion in the first quarter of 2020, it now stands at $14.2 billion. Since this time last year, only two orders for commercial jets were placed, and none in the past three months.
On the upside, the planemaker has not seen the levels of order cancellations and deferrals other manufacturers have experienced. Indeed, the highly efficient E-Jets, in particular the E2s, are ideally suited to the low demand, point-to-point travel that is currently the trend worldwide.
Nevertheless, Embraer's pending firm orders still look healthy, largely driven by the popular E2 jet. The E195-E2 has 134 pending orders, while the E190-E2 has five. There are still a handful of orders for the first-generation E190, while the E175 still sports 130 orders, most of which are from Republic Airlines.
Have you flown on an Embraer E195-E2? If so, please tell us what you think about the aircraft in the comments.