Brazilian manufacturer Embraer has received type certification for its new E190-E2 jet from authorities in Europe, the US and Brazil.
Embraer said it was the first time a program of the complexity of the E2 had received a type certificate from three major worldwide certification authorities — Brazil’s Agencia Nacional de Aviacao Civil, the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation safety Agency — simultaneously.
Scandanavian regional airline Wideroe is the launch customer for the E190-2 and will put it into revenue service in April.
The E190-E2 program was launched in 2013 and features new ultra-high bypass ratio engines and a completely new wing and landing gear.
Embraer says about 75 per cent of the aircraft’s systems are new.
“Having had the pleasure of launching the E-Jets E2 family back in 2013, it is very emotional for me to see the E190-E2 reach Type Certificate today, on schedule and on budget,’’ Embraer chief executive Cesar de Souza e Silva said in a statement.
“Our development teams have once again excelled in their creativity, dedication and competence.
“Not only all development targets were met, but several important ones like fuel burn, performance, noise and maintenance costs came in better than originally specified.’’
The company said fuel consumption on the E190-E2 proved to be 1.3 per cent better than expected and 17.3 per cent ahead of the current E190.
It said the jet was the most most environmentally friendly in its class and its range had increased by 600 nautical miles from hot and high airports and 1000nm from airports with short runways, such as London City.
Other advantages included a 10,000-hour maintenance interval for basic checks and 2.5-day transition time for pilots of current E-jets.
Four prototype aircraft underwent testing with more than 2000 flight hours logged and 45,000 hours of tests conducted in laboratories with rigs for aircraft avionics, flight controls, and electrical, hydraulic, and environmental systems.
Embraer also has a bigger version on the way: the E195-E2.
The company is being courted by US aerospace giant Boeing, which wants to form a joint venture.
The proposal is being considered by Brazilian president Michael Temer and Souza said talks were expected to be finalized in the first half of this year.
Brazil’s government has veto power over any such deal and a spokesman for Temer said recently nothing had been decided yet.
Boeing arch-rival Airbus announced last year it would take a majority stake in the company that builds Canadian plane-maker Bombardier’s C Series aircraft.
