Brazilian jet builder Embraer S.A. has a firm commitment from China's Tianjin Airlines to deliver 22 new narrow-body aircraft, a contract estimated a $1.1 billion at current list prices. Tianjian Airlines, based at Tianjin in northeastern China, serves over 100 domestic and international cities, with a "regional aviation and global operations" strategy serving over 10 million passengers last year.
The new order involves 20 Embraer E195 aircraft and two E190-E2s, making Tianjin Airlines the first Chinese carrier to order the E-Jets E2, Embraer’s new twin-engine aircraft due to make its first appearance in 2018. The airline already operates the largest fleet of Embraer E-Jets in the Asian region.
"As the number of passengers is growing in China, these E195s will be very important to support Tianjin Airlines' strategy to attend this demand," stated chairman Du Xiaoping. "We are very satisfied with the E190s that are currently in operation and are sure that the new airplanes will allow us to achieve our development objectives."
The current order also anticipates a further 18 E2 jets, to be confirmed at a later date.
The first new E195 jet as part of the order will be delivered this year.
The E195 is one of two “stretch” models of Embraer’s E-Jet series of narrow-body aircraft.
"We are honored to confirm this repeated order for our largest client in Asia," stated Paulo Cesar Silva, president and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation. "China is growing very fast and there is a need for smaller narrow-body jets to support efficient hub-and-spoke operations, complementing larger narrow-body aircraft operations, thus providing an ideal balance of frequency and seats, encouraging the development of new markets with lower risks and incremental capacity, while generating significant demand for new aircraft in this category."
