China Moves To Certify Embraer E195-E2

SINGAPORE—The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has certified the Embraer E195-E2 regional airliner, on the heels of certification by Malaysia and Australia.

China had already certified the smaller E190-E2 at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2022.

“Our team in China is actively working with potential customers and making good progress,” Embraer Commercial Aviation President and CEO Arjan Meijer says in a statement.

“There are significant opportunities for the E2 in China, which offers complementary capacity to China’s indigenous [Comac] ARJ21 and C919 aircraft. Combined, they provide flexible, efficient and eco-friendly options for Chinese airlines, meeting the demand of the world’s fast-growing air transportation market,” Meijer adds.

During Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s state visit to China in April, both governments backed Embraer’s activities and potential promotion of aircraft in China.

At this year’s Paris Air Show, Embraer signed a letter of agreement with Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group for 20 E190Fs and E195F E-Jet Passenger-to-Freighter Conversions, with conversion capability to be established in the Gansu province capital.

The Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database shows there are currently 62 older E-Jet variants in service in China—43 are the smaller E190, 19 are the longer E195. Another seven E-Jets are parked and 16 are stored. 

The E2 has been gaining traction in the Asia-Pacific region. In May, Embraer secured an order from Singapore’s Scoot for nine E190-E2 aircraft. This was followed by Malaysia’s SKS Airways agreement to lease 10 E195-E2s from U.S. lessor Azorra.

“Historically, Chinese operators have had as many as 85 E190s (in 2017) and 20 E195s (in 2018) in service, along with 38 CRJ900s (in 2018) and 14 CRJ700s (in 2017),” says Aviation Week Network Senior Manager of Fleet, Flight and Forecast Data Daniel Williams. “For smaller regional jets, they’ve operated as many as 44 ERJ 145s (in 2010) and 31 CRJ200s (in 2007-8). A lot of these have now been replaced with the Chinese-built ARJ21, of which there are now over 100 in service.” 

Williams adds that China currently “has more regional jets in service than ever before at 238,” but notes that as more ARJ21s are produced, Western “legacy” regional jets are likely to be gradually phased out.

“However, the E195-E2 is bigger than the ARJ21, which seats up to 90 passengers. At up to 148 seats, Embraer will be marketing the E195-E2 in China as a replacement for smaller, aging narrowbodies like 156-seat Airbus A319s, of which there are 163 in service, and 149-seat Boeing 737-700s, of which there are 128. It will also look to replace aging E-Jets,” Williams says.

Embraer has long seen China as a strong growth opportunity for its E2 fleet. The company has hinted that large orders from Chinese customers could help underpin development of a final assembly line in the country. A partnership with AVIC saw ERJ-145s and Legacy 650 business jets assembled in Harbin from 2003-2017.