Air France's Régional orders Two Additional Embraer Jets

Régional, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air France, has signed a contract for two additional Embraer Jets, one Embraer 170 and one Embraer 190, confirming options originally taken in August 2007. The value of the new deal, at list price, is US$ 69 million. Both planes are scheduled for delivery in 2009.

“It is great news for Embraer to see an important carrier, from the Air France/KLM Group, once again, reaffirming its confidence in the E-Jets family,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “Régional was the first operator of the Embraer 190 in Europe and, with this additional order, is now the company’s largest customer on that continent, confirming our belief that the E-Jets family meets the most sophisticated airline and passenger demands.”

The new Régional Embraer 190, configured in a 100-seat single-class layout, will join the five aircraft already delivered and will be deployed on the carrier’s interregional network of 46 major cities in Europe. Régional also has seven Embraer 170s on firm order, configured in a 76-seat single-class layout, and will receive the first one this year. The airline has a fleet of 48 Embraer aircraft (five Embraer 190s, 28 ERJ 145s, nine ERJ 135s, and six EMB 120 Brasilias), making it the manufacturer’s largest customer in Europe.

“The feedback we have from our passengers regarding our first Embraer 190 is very positive. Because of this, we are committing to more,” said Jean-Yves Grosse, Régional/Air France President and CEO. “The E-Jets bring important fuel savings, which are beneficial both to the environment and to our bottom line.”

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