Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced today that the U.S. based carrier Northwest Airlines has placed a firm order for 36 Embraer 175s, with options for additional 36 aircraft of the same type and up to 100 rolling purchase rights.
The new E-Jets will be operated by Northwest’s regional subsidiary Compass Airlines, and will fly under the Northwest Airlink brand name. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2007. The values of the orders were not disclosed.
The Embraer 175 aircraft for Northwest will be configured for 76 seats in dual-class configuration – 12 first class seats, and 64 coach class seats.
The introduction of Embraer’s aircraft is part of Northwest ongoing fleet renewal plan and will allow the Company to offer high standards in passenger comfort and pursue growth opportunities in important markets with improved aircraft economics.
"The Embraer 175 aircraft provides a comfortable and efficient flight experience and we are pleased to introduce this highly valued aircraft manufacturer’s product line to Northwest travelers," said Doug Steenland, Northwest president and chief executive.
"The new aircraft will lower our operating costs through a combination of significantly lower fuel consumption along with inherent maintenance cost advantages."
"We are very pleased with Northwest Airlines’ decision of introducing Embraer aircraft in its fleet," said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer Executive Vice-President, Airline Market.
"The Embraer 175 utilization in Northwest regional routes will provide the airline greater revenue potential due to its superior comfort and passenger preference, which combines very well with the aircraft low operating costs."
The Embraer 175 is the second of four members of the E-Jets family, a new generation of aircraft designed specifically for the 70 to 110-seat segment. Adopting a clean sheet design, the Embraer’s E-Jets are engineered to maximize passenger comfort with exceptional performance and superior operating economics.
The new aircraft order is subject to the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
As of June 30, 2006, the Embraer 170/190 family had logged 455 firm orders options. With a total of 163 aircraft delivered to that date, the family is currently flying for Air Canada (Canada), Alitalia Express (Italy), Cirrus (Germany), Copa (Panama), Delta Connection (USA), Finnair (Finland), Hong Kong Express (Hong Kong), JetBlue (USA), LOT Polish (Poland), Paramount Airways (India), Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudi Arabia), TAME (Ecuador), United Express (USA) and US Airways Express (USA).
Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets of up to 110 seats.
With headquarters in São José dos Campos, state of São Paulo, the Company has offices and customer service bases in the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore.
Embraer is among Brazil’s leading exporting companies. As of June 30, 2006, Embraer had a total workforce of 17,538 people, and its firm order backlog totaled US$ 10.2 billion.
