Jet-builder Embraer S.A. is entering into an MRO program for the E-Jets E2 fleet it is supplying to Widerøe, the Norway-based regional airline that will be the launch customer for E190-E2 version of its new medium-range, twin-engine aircraft. The Flight Hour Pool Program will cover over 300 “rotable” components, for the airline’s E190-E2 fleet.
Embraer did not estimate the value of the MRO contract.
Widerøe will receive the first E190-E2 in April, and regular service is expected to follow that date, reportedly on April 24 in a flight from Bergen to Tromso, Norway.
The E2 jets include the E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2, announced in 2011 as an expansion of the already established E-Jet platform, able to carry 100-150 passengers, with improved fuel economy and lower maintenance costs. It was intended to compete with the Bombardier C-Series aircraft. The E2 aircraft are fitted with Pratt & Whitney's PW1000G geared turbofan engines.
“Rotable” components are aircraft parts that are serialized and tracked in a database as part of routine maintenance.
Embraer’s Flight Hour Pool Program currently supports over 40 airlines worldwide, to allow the carriers to minimize upfront investment on repairable inventories, and to take advantage of Embraer’s technical expertise and its component-repair service network.
Widerøe is described as the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, carrying more than 3 million passengers annually to 46 destinations in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the U.K. Last January, Widerøe ordered up to 15 E2 jets, including three E190-E2s and purchase rights for 12 more E2 aircraft (e.g., E175-E2, E190-E2, and E195-E2), which will expand the Widerøe fleet from a smaller regional aircraft in the 80-passenger range to jets with 130 seats, or more.
As reported by Embraer, the jet order has a potential value of up to $873million if all orders are converted.
“Embraer started to support us the very day we signed the contract, and that support has continued to develop, in partnership with our team, to ensure the smoothest possible entry in service for this fine aircraft that will revolutionize our offering to our customers,” stated Stein Nilsen, the airline’s CEO.
