Summary

  • Embraer already has a strong presence in Africa and can capitalize on the region's growing demand for air travel.
  • The E2 Profit Hunter comes in various models with improved features, including fuel efficiency and maintenance cost reductions.
  • Smaller regional jets are popular among African airlines and can help solve the problem of undersold flights and maximize profitability by operating at near full capacity.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has become a significant player in the African air transport market, selling hundreds of its regional jets to various airlines around the continent. Simple Flying predicts that it'll sell more of these stunning aircraft, nicknamed the Profit Hunters, to more African carriers in the future. Here's why:

A region with great potential

The African aviation marketplace is an exciting place right now. It has a wealth of potential and opportunity but arguably an equal measure of challenges to overcome. Startups come and go, while national carriers shut down as they struggle to overcome the barriers to profitability. Despite demand for air travel increasing post-pandemic, foreign carriers continue to dominate.

In terms of commercial aviation, Embraer has already got a strong foothold in Africa. Since the arrival of their first aircraft, the EMB-110 Bandeirante, to Nouvelle Air Affaires in 1978, they've sold more than 150 jets to some 50 African operators. Now, they've stepped up their game by introducing the second generation E2 jets, with various improvements.

What's good about the E2 Profit Hunter?

The E2 Profit Hunter jets come in a variety of flavors. The first to be launched was the E190-E2, which has the accolade of having the highest wing aspect ratios of any airliner. It uses fly-by-wire technology instead of the open loop used in the E1. It's got a range of 2,850nmi (5,278 km) and seats 106 passengers in an all-economy configuration, or 97 in three classes.

An Embraer E195-E2 in Profit Hunter livery on display at an air show.
Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

The E195-E2 stretches the fuselage by three rows, giving 132 seats in an all-economy layout or 120 in a three-class configuration. The range extends to 2,600nmi (4,815 km) and can land at airports with runways as short as 1,375m.

The final aircraft in the family is the E175-E2, which seats around 80 – 90 passengers. It has faced several delays and may only enter service in 2027. Carrying a full load of passengers, its range is up to 2,000nmi (3,704 km).

An Embraer E2 jet flying over a large city.
Photo: Embraer

According to Embraer, the E2 family offers 'double-digit' percentage reductions in fuel burn and maintenance costs compared to their predecessors. New technology enables pilots to see real-time data during flight, and built-in analytics keep the aircraft flying at optimum efficiency.

For passengers, they promise widebody comfort and an unprecedented level of personal space. But, with other aircraft vying for space in the small jet market, including Boeing's bestselling 737 MAX, what makes the E2 such an excellent choice for African airlines?

Check out more African aviation news here

Africa needs new planes

As of June 2023, Africa's aviation market accounts for just 2.1% of the global market in terms of passenger traffic. Although this is a relatively small number, the continent is sitting on a lot of potential. Additionally, African airlines are currently struggling with aging aircraft, with an average fleet age of 12 years, making them the oldest in the world.

Boeing's latest Market Outlook estimates that 1,030 new planes would be needed in the continent over the next two decades, an 80% growth of the current fleet. Boeing predicted that most orders would be single-aisle jetliners, such as the 737 MAX.

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 taking off.
Photo: Boeing

Airbus's Market Outlook, similarly, predicted Africa to have the most significant growth in commercial air traffic in the coming decade. They estimated Africa would need 1,180 new passenger and freighter aircraft by 2042. About 75% of these will typically be single-aisle, while 25% are widebody aircraft.

Although some airlines will undoubtedly want to target long-haul operations with larger aircraft, the E2 certainly has a place in the future fleet strategy.

African airlines love smaller planes

Looking at the fleets currently operating in Africa, it's clear that smaller regional jets play an essential role in the network. For example, Airlink, one of Africa's leading regional carriers by destinations served, operates several Embraer Regional Jets. These include 13 EMB-135LRs, 11 EMB-140LRs, three ERJ 170-100LRs, and 21 ERJ 190-100LRs. With this fleet, it now serves over 50 destinations in 16 African countries.

An Airlink Embraer 190 parked at an airport.
Photo: Tatenda Karuwa | Simple Flying

Algeria's flag carrier Air Algérie has 12 ATR 72-500s and two 72-600s in their fleet, while Royal Air Maroc has four Embraer E190s and one ARJ100. Tripoli-based Libyan Airlines has two Bombardier CRJ900s.

Looking at the larger carriers, Kenya Airways sports 13 Embraer 190-100ARs, while its low-cost carrier Jambojet operates eight DHC-8-400s. However, KQ wants to dispose of its regional jets for bigger Boeing aircraft to increase capacity. For years, ERJ was the most prolific aircraft type in its fleet, and the airline once considered the E2 for its short-haul operations.

A Kenya Airways E190 about to land.
Photo: Markus Mainka I Shutterstock.

Just across the border, Ethiopian Airlines, the largest carrier on the African continent, operates some large aircraft, including the B787 Dreamliner and the A350-900. However, it might surprise some readers that the most prolific aircraft in its fleet is the 70-80 seater DHC-8-Q400, with 30 of them in operation.

The E2 strikes the perfect balance between range and capacity for airlines operating on the African continent. As more routes open up and other regional jets age, we're confident we'll see more E2s taking up space in these fleets.

It solves the problem of undersold flights

Passenger traffic in Africa has significantly recovered post-pandemic, with some regions like North and East Africa reaching over 100% of 2019 levels. Despite the recovery, there's a big problem with load factors on many of the routes within the continent.

An Embraer E190-E2 taxiing to the runway.
Photo: Embraer

According to IATA's latest reports, traffic in Africa rose 34.7% in June 2023 versus a year ago, while capacity increased by 44.8%. However, the load factor decreased by 5.1% to 68.1%, the lowest of any region. Africa was the only region to record a decline in monthly international load factor, as additional capacity surpassed demand for air travel.

With many airlines operating Airbus A320 family or Boeing 737 aircraft for intra-African routes, there's an apparent inefficiency occurring. The once-a-day flights (or even less than once a day), which take off with 30% of the seats empty, are costing airlines dearly. While talking about strategy at AviaDev Africa 2023, Airbus' Airline Marketing Director - Africa, Joep Ellers, said,

The biggest, most recent, and most technological aircraft is not always the right solution.

Clearly, it's better for them to operate an efficient 100 – 120 seater aircraft almost full than it would be to continue running flights on larger planes with unnecessary capacity. This could allow them to add frequency on the more popular routes, maximizing profits.

The E2 is proven in underserved areas

A clear pattern emerges if we look at where the E2 has been ordered so far. For the E195-E2, one of the biggest buyers to date has been Brazil's Azul Airlines, which has over 15 jets in operation and many more on order. Regional carrier KLM Cityhopper also has 15 in its fleet, while Binter Canarias has five.

The E190-E2 also has customers in various markets, operated by carriers such as Switzerland's Helvetic Airways, with eight examples, Kazakhstan's Air Astana with five, and Norway's Wideroe with three. What do all these airlines have in common? They fly to underserved regional destinations that require small aircraft to operate competently and efficiently.

Africa has several synergies with the types of locales in which these aircraft operate. Although numerous well-developed international airports are on the continent, much of the population lives well away from these locations. With on-the-ground infrastructure in Africa notoriously difficult, airlines will be looking for ways to feed passengers from remote areas into their hubs for onward travel to other parts of the world.

Want answers to more key questions in aviation? Check out the rest of our guides here.

Air Peace and Madagascar Airlines

Air Peace, Nigeria's largest airline, continues to expand and recently took delivery of its first widebody. The carrier has a variety of single-aisle aircraft, including five E195-E2s, which it operates on several regional routes. It was the first African airline to operate the type, with eight more on order.

An Air Peace E195 E2 parked at an airport.
Photo: Embraer

As the largest airline in West Africa, we've seen it open new regional routes with the E195. Air Peace clearly thinks that the E2 Profit Hunter is an excellent fit for its intra-Africa operations, and we at Simple Flying do too. Another African carrier is looking to join Air Peace as an E2 operator. Although delivery of the first jet has been delayed, Madagascar Airlines is looking to lease three E190-E2s. The first one will arrive in September and operate interisland flights to Mauritius.

Although sales have been low in the continent, the next generation E2s can compete with the A320s and B737s, and time will tell who will win over the African aviation industry to secure their share of the small jet market.

Do you agree that the Embraer E2 jets are ideal for the African air transport market? Please let us know in the comments!

  • TECH-SHARK_EXTERIOR_004
    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