New Planes to Operate as United Express Aircraft

Embraer has agreed to the sale of 19 new E175 jets to SkyWest, Inc., the St. George, Utah-based regional air-carrier contracted by Alaska Airlines as Alaska SkyWest, American Airlines as American Eagle, Delta Air Lines as Delta Connection, and United Airlines as United Express.

The 19 E-Jets, which will operate under the United Express banner per a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA), will grow SkyWest’s United Express E175 fleet to 109 machines, and boost the total number of E175s currently in service with SkyWest to over 250. At list-price, the contract’s value is $1.1-billion.

Deliveries of the seventy-seat jets, which have been ordered in a three-class configuration, are slated to commence in 2024’s fourth-quarter.

SkyWest president and CEO Chip Childs stated: “SkyWest is already the largest E175 operator in the world, and when this order is delivered we will have over 250 E175s. We look forward to continuing to improve the passenger flying experience with enhanced comfort and reliability.”

Embraer Commercial Aviation CCO Martyn Holmes set forth: “We are pleased to build upon our superb partnership with SkyWest. The E175 is truly a versatile aircraft, the backbone of North American regional aviation.” 

Embraer’s E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short to medium-range, twin-engine, jet airliners. The series’ commercial success derives largely of its ability to efficiently serve lower-density routes while offering many of the same amenities and features of larger commercial aircraft.

The E-Jet family comprises two series—the smaller, base-model E170 and E175 jets, and the stretched E190 and E195 aircraft. A business-jet iteration known as the Embraer Lineage 1000 (type name ERJ190-100 ECJ) is also produced, albeit in smaller numbers. The latter sports the same structure as the E190, but boasts an extended range of up to 4,200-nautical-miles, and luxury seating for up to 19 well-heeled passengers.

The E170 and E175 share 95% commonality, as do the E190 and E195; the two families share near 89% commonality, as evinced by their identical fuselage cross-sections and avionics.

To the subject of powerplants, the E170 and E175 are powered by General Electric’s 14,200-lbf CF34-8E turbofan engine, while the stretched E190 and E195 make use of the 20,000-lbf General Electric CF34-10E mill. The noise-signatures and emissions of both engines exceed the requirements established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Ergo, E-Jet operators retain the ability to service noise-sensitive airports such as London City (LCY), Teterboro (TEB), John Wayne (SNA), Santa Monica (SMO), and Naples, Florida (APF).

To date, Embraer has logged orders for north of 1,900 E-Jets from more than one-hundred customers. Presently, no fewer than eighty airlines across every habitable continent operate Embraer E-Jets.

FMI: www.embraer.com