Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has announced upgrades and performance improvements for their commercial aircraft at the Farnborough International Airshow. Upgrades will be available for the E195-E2, E190-E2, and E175, including fuel burn and range improvements as well as avionics and cabin upgrades.
Improving On An Already Successful Aircraft
The Embraer E2 and E175 family of aircraft have seen strong demand across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The E2 family of aircraft builds upon the success of the E Jet family offering more fuel efficient engines, a redesigned wing and cabin. Over 114 Embraer E2 aircraft are operating globally. Meanwhile, the E175 has seen much success with over 675 operators in North America alone. Embraer will offer a handful of cosmetic and technical upgrades. Cabin upgrades include larger overhead bins, mood lighting and Recaro seats. According to Embraer the E175’s overhead bin capacity will double in size to be similar to those on the E2. Technical upgrades will be available on future deliveries including advanced weather radar that will be identical to the E2. The next generation weather radar provides turbulence detection and alert, predictive windshear detection, and 3-D volumetric scanning.
The Embraer E2 lineup while rather young will also be getting upgrades for future orders. One of the largest improvements is the reduction in fuel burn. Embraer estimates a reduction of fuel burn by 2.5%. According to Embraer the savings in fuel burn reduction are estimated at around $1 million per aircraft. Range on the E195-E2 has been boosted to 3000NM. These performance improvements help give Embraer a more competitive footing as they aim at taking on the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing in the competitive narrowbody segment.