Embraer Commercial Aviation chief Arjan Meijer is confident the manufacturer will continue to see strong demand for its E175 jets in the USA, after today disclosing an order for 60 of the type from regional operator SkyWest.
Speaking at a press conference at the Paris air show, Meijer said the airframer “expects this market to continue for many years”, especially for fleet renewal purposes.
The SkyWest order, which also includes purchase rights on 50 more E175s, comes on the back of a 90-aircraft order from compatriot American Airlines in March 2024.
Meijer notes that the US market is “essentially limited by the scope clause”. He adds: “But if you look in more detail… there are a lot of [regional] aircraft flying around, but they are a lot older.”
Meijer, who calls the E175 a “strong asset” in the North American market, says around 40-50% of its production capacity will be “continuously” allocated to E175 production, adding that Embraer has the flexibility to adjust it.
To this end, Embraer will be introducing a cabin retrofit programme for the E175, with increased overhead bin capacity – like that on the E2 – and mood lighting among the new features. These will be available for retrofit from 2027 and will feature in newly-built E175s from 2028.
Embraer’s attempts to launch the updated E175-E2 to the US market were hindered by the scope-clause limits in the US regional market and maximum take-off weight for 76-seat aircraft. The programme has been pushed several years, even as Embraer acknowledges that the E175 E2 is effectively shelved.
