- Embraer showcased its new E195-E2 jet at the Farnborough Airshow in July.
- The E195-E2 features automatic takeoff and has orders from Porter Airlines and KLM.
- The scope clause in pilot contracts has hindered the E2’s entry into the US market.
The Brazilian firm Embraer has made a niche for itself in the regional airplane market.
American, Delta, and United’s regional subsidiaries operate its E175 jets.
With a 2-2 configuration, there is no middle seat, unlike its main competitor, the Airbus A220.
At July’s Farnborough Airshow, Embraer exhibited its newest jet, the E195-E2. It is set to include a pioneering new feature that lets it take off automatically.
The jet has received orders from Canadian Porter Airlines and KLM in the Netherlands, but a US airline has yet to become a customer.
The contract between US airlines and their pilots’ unions limits the number of passengers a regional aircraft can carry, and the E2 jets exceed this.
Unless this scope clause is renegotiated, it’s unlikely that the E2 would come to the US.
