JAL Group, the holding company for Japan Airlines and several regional and commuter airlines, ordered 15 new Embraer E-Jets with GE Aviation’s CF34 engines as the power supply. The jets, a selection of Embraer’s E170 and E190 jets models, to be operated by the J-Air subsidiary, which already has 15 E170s in service from its base at Osaka.
The new jets will be delivered next year, according to Embraer and GE Aviation, which is supplying its CF34 engines as the power source.
Embraer noted the order is worth $677 million at current prices, but the airline also has an option to buy 12 more of the regional jets and that would raise the purchase contract value above $1 billion.
“We have been operating our E-Jets for five years and the aircraft have achieved an outstanding 99.7% dispatch reliability. They are efficient and have displayed exceptional performance,” stated Yoshiharu Ueki, president of Japan Airlines. “Having the combination of E170s and E190s in our fleet will give us greater flexibility, enabling us to match capacity with demand on routes within our existing and future networks.”
According to Paulo Cesar Silva, president/CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, “The E-Jets have a proven global track record and we look forward to the operational debut of the E190s in Japan. It is a reaffirmation of the family concept to see the E190 complementing the E170 fleet also in Japan, enhancing J-Air’s operations, and delivering a seamless passenger experience across its network.”
At the same time, JAL also ordered 32 regional jets from the fledgling Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, selecting its MRJ 70 and MRJ 90 models, which are due to be introduced in 2017.
According to GE, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the new CF34 engines will be supplied through its multi-year OnPointSM program. It said the engine order and MRO agreements are valued at more than $550 million.
"JAL and GE have worked together for decades and welcomes this order for CF34-powered E-Jets," said Chaker Chahrour, vice president and general manager of Global Sales & Marketing at GE Aviation. "The CF34 engines are known for their outstanding performance and reliability that will serve JAL well as it expands its regional network."
The CF34 is a turbofan engine derived for civilian aircraft by GE from its TF34 military engine, and installed by Embraer and other regional and economy jet builders. According to GE, it has delivered over 6,000 CF34 engines since it entered commercial service in 1992.
