If you’ve been to an airport in the USA lately, chances are you’ve seen an E175.  The 76-seat E-Jet has become more visible after 332 of them were ordered by many of the country’s leading airline groups in just the last three years.  Republic Airways, SkyWest, United Airlines, American Airlines and Horizon Air (which flies the airplane for Alaska Airlines) have all added E175 to their fleets.  Those acquisitions account for some 80% of all orders for new aircraft in the 76-seat capacity category.

It was ten years ago today, September 18, 2006, that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified the E175.  Since then, the aircraft has become the mainstay of regional airline fleets in the USA, the world’s largest commercial air travel market.

What has made the E175 so successful in the USA?  It depends who you ask.  Passengers love the airplane for its spacious cabin.  Airlines love the E175 because it offers a consistent product standard across their networks with both premium and economy cabins.  They also love that it’s extremely economical to operate.

The E175 isn’t just a success story in the USA.  Carriers in the Middle East, Asia and Europe fly the E175 and the number of customers is growing.  KLM Cityhopper, the European airline that operates the biggest fleet of E-Jets, recently starting adding new E175s.

A decade later, Embraer continues to invest in the airplane.  In fact, the company recently introduced several technical improvements to the E175 to make it even better.  Aerodynamic streamlining of exterior surfaces, distinctive new wingtips, and optimization of some aircraft systems have reduced fuel consumption by 6.4% compared to the original E175.  That number is even better than the 5% reduction that was originally predicted.

Burning less fuel is good for the environment and helps our customers save money.  Not bad for an airplane that is still going strong after ten years