Used E-Jets Find Fresh Lease on Life as Cargo Haulers Out East

Embraer signed a Letter of Agreement at the recent Paris Air Show for the conversion and delivery of 20 jets for the Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group.

The deal will provide the firm with 20 E190F and E195F Embraer aircraft, originally built in passenger layouts. The Chinese firm will cooperate on the establishment of suitable conversion capabilities in their hometown, supporting and accelerating the introduction of the 1st-gen E-jet freighters into their domestic market. The E190/195 Passenger to Freight Conversions program was first offered in Embraer’s array of services in March of 2022, timed to capitalize on increased demand for smaller, more flexible air cargo services throughout the East. Embraer forecasts a hefty market demand for its E-jet freighters in the region, with 200 hoped to find their way into service over the next 2 decades. Overall, the Chinese market is forecasted to account for about a third of that total, with 600 needed all around the world.

“The opportunity in China had a significant influence during the decision-making process of the launch of our P2F program. It is a market with increasing demand for cargo aircraft to accommodate the tremendous growth of E-commerce trade and the consequent evolution of the logistics industry. We’re confident in this booming market and always willing to support the sector’s further progress in cooperation with our Chinese partners,” said Arjan Meijer, President and CEO Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We welcome Lanzhou Group to be the region’s launch customer for Embraer’s P2F conversion, and we expect to bring new vitality to Chinese market with our E-Jets freighters.”

“The LoA signed with Lanzhou Group today is a strong indicator of the demand we are seeing for our E-Jet freight conversions in China,” said Johann Bordais, President & CEO, Embraer Services and Support. “It’s great to welcome Lanzhou to join our E-Jets freighter family. We’re glad to help them integrate into the E190/E195 conversion network and speed up our P2F efforts in China so that more Embraer freighters can be delivered to our Chinese customers in the future.”

“We are honored to be the launch customer of the Embraer E-Jets freighters in China. We believe the ‘China speed’ in aviation logistics will be an important basis for the sustainable and efficient growth of the Chinese economy,” said Chen Zhiqiang, President of Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group. “By cooperating with industry-leading aircraft manufacturer, Embraer and introducing E-Jets freighters to China, we’ll fully leverage our domestic strength and competitive advantages to boost China’s air cargo market growth. We expect that the project, after it comes to fruition, will also help achieve high-quality economic development in Lanzhou, Gansu, and western regions of China.”

FMI: www.embraercommercialaviation.com