Small Is Sexy: Which Airlines Operate The Embraer ERJ135?

The ERJ series started Embraer's successful run with regional jets. The new E-Jets have taken capacity higher, but the original ERJ aircraft had much smaller options. With a capacity of up to only 37, the ERJ135 was the smallest variant offered. Many aircraft are aging but remain in service with a few regional airlines worldwide and plenty of private operators.

The Embraer ERJ series

Embraer launched the ERJ (Embraer Regional Jet) series in 1995, with the first flight of the EMB145. This was turbofan stretched version of the EMB120 turboprop. The updated ERJ145 followed this in 1997, with its two engines moved to the rear fuselage.

The mid-sized ERJ145 was followed by the smaller ERJ135 and ERJ140 in 1999. The ERJ series has been very successful for Embraer, taking it to a leading position in the regional jet market. The ERJ series remained in production until 2020, with over 1,200 aircraft produced in total. Embraer moved on to develop the clean sheet E-Jet series, which first flew in 2002 and entered service in 2004. It has been even more successful, and the larger variants take capacity even further.

ERJ135 and ERJ145 — The ERJ135 and the larger ERJ145. Photo: Anthony Noble via Wikimedia

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The smallest variant - ERJ135

The ERJ135 is the smallest jet Embraer has produced. It offers a cabin capacity of up to only 37, usually in a 2-1 seating configuration. Now that it is out of production, the smallest aircraft in the E-Jet series is the E-170, with a typical two-class capacity of 66 and a single class capacity of up to 78.

It was, in fact, offered as two variants. The ERJ135ER (extended range) is the baseline model, developed as a shortened version of the ERJ145. The ERJ135LR (long-range) variant offers increased fuel capacity and improved engines.

In total, Embraer produced 1,231 ERJ135/140/145 aircraft. As of July 2021 (according to data from ch-aviation.com), 325 ERJ135 aircraft remain in active service. Only 12 airlines, however, operate ERJ135 fleets - the other operators are charter, government, or private operators. The largest operator of the type is German charter operator Air Hamburg, with 21 aircraft.

Airlink (South Africa) - top airline operator

Airlink, formerly working in a close strategic alliance with South African Airways as South African Airlink, is a regional African airline based in Johannesburg. It is a major Embraer operator, with the ERJ135 and ERJ140 and the E170 and E190. Out of its fleet of 51 aircraft, 45 are Embraer jets (the other six are BAe Jetstream 41 turboprops).

Airlink operates 16 ERJ135LR and one ERJ135ER aircraft. It took its first aircraft in 2000, and all were delivered by 2003. It has only retired one aircraft to date.

The majority of Airlink's fleet consists of Embraer aircraft. Photo: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia

JSX Air in second place

The second-largest operator of the ERJ135 is the US regional airline JSX Air, with a fleet of 16 ERJ135s. This is not an airline we often discuss - it started operations only in 2016 as JetSuiteX and rebranded in 2019.

It sits somewhere between a scheduled airline and a private charter, offering scheduled flights but usually out of smaller airports or private terminals and with a business market focus. This semi-private market is growing currently, and Embraer has responded to this with a business-class cabin configuration of 1-1 for the ERJ145 at least.

JSX Air operates an all Embraer fleet, with 16 ERJ135 (14 of these are the ERJ135LR variant) and seven ERJ145 aircraft. These fly regional routes between several southern states.

JSX Air ERJ135 — JSX will begin Dallas Love to Miami on November 18th with a six-weekly service. It'll also start Westchester to Miami, although its route map indicates that flights aren't available to the general public. Photo: Kees08 via Wikimedia.

Contour Aviation / Contour Airlines

Contour Aviation operates both charter flights and scheduled flights (through its subsidiary Contour Airlines). Like JSX Air, it is an independent US regional airline. It has a slightly smaller fleet, with just 18 aircraft. 10 of these are ERJ135s (six ERJ135ER and four ERJ135LR). It also operates the ERJ145 and competitor aircraft CRJ200.

Loganair

UK-based Loganair operates four ERJ135ER aircraft out of a diverse fleet of 40 aircraft. The ERJ145 makes up the largest part of this, with 13 aircraft. The ATR 42 and ATR 72 feature as well, as do aging Saab 340 aircraft.

OTT Airlines

OTT Airlines is a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines - set up only in 2020. It is set to become the first operator of the Chinese-built COMAC C919 and will operate Chinese-built aircraft for the airline. OTT Airlines already operates the Chinese-built ARJ21, with five in service and 30 more on order.

It also operates business configuration jets, including the Embraer Legacy 650 - it operates just two of these aircraft. The Legacy 600/650 was launched in 2002 as a lower-capacity business jet version of the ERJ135. This is the version that Air Hamburg operates, as do many other smaller private operators.

Six airlines with one or two aircraft

Six more regional airlines currently operate just one or two ERJ135 aircraft (based on ch-aviaiton.com data). Cameroon airline Cronos Regional, Angolan airline SJL Aeronáutica, and Slovenia-based Amelia International operate two ERJ135 aircraft.

And with just one ERJ135 in service, we have UK regional airlines Eastern Airways, Nigerian airlines MaxAir, and Sudanese operator Tarco Aviation.

The Embraer ERJ135 is one of the smallest jets in commercial service - closer to many private jets in size. It is aging now in many fleets and will continue to disappear from use. Feel free to discuss your opinions or experiences flying this aircraft in the comments.