Summary

  • Embraer established Pioneer Airlines to test new aircraft through simulated airline operations and various weather conditions.
  • Pioneer Airlines conducted over 600 extra tests beyond certification requirements to ensure that the E2 was ready for commercial service.
  • Although Pioneer Airlines may not meet ICAO's airline definition, Embraer successfully delivered the E2 to its launch customer, the Norwegian regional carrier Widerøe.

Developing an aircraft involves rigorous testing to ensure that manufacturers release a product that meets market requirements. As such, Brazilian planemaker Embraer established its own airline, known as Pioneer Airlines, to take its next-generation jetliners through various test processes.

It may seem strange for an aircraft manufacturer to operate its own carrier, but Pioneer Airlines took Embraer employees, including test pilots and engineers, to various destinations, flying through adverse weather conditions. While it is debatable whether Pioneer Airlines is really an airline, it has an interesting history of operating important missions.

Created with one mission in mind

Embraer was founded in Brazil in 1969, with the Bandeirante turboprop designed for civilian and military use as its first production aircraft. The company has become the third-largest commercial jet manufacturer, with approximately 18,000 employees and over 8,000 aircraft delivered globally.

Renderings of Embraer E2 jets flying
Image: Embraer

Nearly 50 years later, Embraer established its own airline to accelerate the certification of the E-Jet E2 family. Pioneer Airlines was created with one mission in mind, namely to ensure the smooth and successful entry of the Embraer E2 into commercial service. The firm used this in-house carrier to simulate airline operations, including high frequency, high-cycle schedules, as well as cold weather flying in North America.

Pioneer would put the E2 through various test conditions to ensure that all the ideas Embraer had conceived were practical, as well as helping the planemaker identify any flaws before the product entered the market. This was an unprecedented development for the Brazilian firm. Elaborating on the functionality of the airline, Embraer's Technical Marketing Manager, Priscila Doro, said,

"We're building the day-to-day workings of our own airline to ensure this aircraft arrives on the market super robust and super mature."

During the test period, Embraer would operate the aircraft from an airline's perspective and follow most airline procedures. On May 23rd, 2016, a Pioneer Airlines E-Jet E2 took off on its inaugural flight from São Paulo.

The aircraft flew for over three hours, reaching a maximum altitude of 41,000 ft and a maximum speed of Mach 0.82. Nearly two months later, the E2 flew across the Atlantic to debut at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK.

Testing the limits of the E2

Embraer's Pioneer Airlines duplicated fundamental customer operations with a test campaign that followed the daily sequences of a functioning passenger carrier. According to the manufacturer's four-part documentary, Pioneer delivered more than 600 tests beyond those required for certification, and the airline flew to over 13 destinations in Brazil and the US.

In May 2016, Pioneer Airlines took the E2 to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where it underwent tests in extremely low temperatures. In February 2018, it flew to Rockford, Illinois, to test the aircraft's performance during the harsh winters of the Northern Hemisphere. Flying under Pioneer, the jetliner accumulated more than 100 flight hours, visited 17 cities and went through de-icing and anti-ice procedures.

Related
Embraer E2 Deliveries More Than Doubled In 2023
39 E2 jets were delivered in 2023.

Is it really an airline, though?

Embraer states in its marketing that Pioneer is "an airline within Embraer with a very real mission." While the mission might be genuine, it seems like the airline might not be. Indeed, if we take a step back and look at Pioneer Airlines' activities, its name is assigned to Embraer's E2 flight test team.

While the 'airline' may have flown simulated airline operations, including some high-frequencies, it doesn't appear to have flown any members of the public with real flight bookings, reservations, and boarding passes. So, does Pioneer Airlines meet the criteria for being regarded as an airline?

A closeup of an Airlink Embraer 190 on an airport apron.
Photo: Tatenda Karuwa | Simple Flying

The International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) founding document, often referred to as the Chicago Convention, states that an airline is any air transport enterprise offering or operating an international air service, with "air service" defined as scheduled flights "performed by aircraft for the public transport of passengers, mail or cargo."

For the purposes of the convention, the word international was included, but domestic services also count. Without diving too deep into specific definitions and legal technicalities, it doesn't seem like Pioneer Airlines would meet ICAO's definition of an airline.

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

Delivery from 'airline' to airline

Regardless of where you stand on Pioneer Airlines' legitimacy, the team members of Embraer accomplished their airline's mission, delivering a solid, functioning aircraft to E2 launch customer Widerøe. The regional Norwegian carrier was selected as the global launch customer for the newly developed Embraer aircraft in 2017.

A Wideroe Embraer E190-E2 jet on the runway.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Embraer delivered the world's first E-Jet E2 (LN-WEA) on April 4th, 2018, with the plane officially entering service 20 days later. The airline currently operates three E190-E2 aircraft. Today, 11 carriers operate Embraer E2s, with Canada's Porter Airlines being the largest operator. Embraer maintains offices, parts distribution centers, service facilities, and industrial units in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

What do you think of Embraer's Pioneer Airlines? Would you consider it to be an actual airline? Please share your opinion with us by leaving a comment!

  • 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