Roll-Out Of The EMBRAER 170 For Crossair
For the first time the Brazilian manufacturer is showing in public the new EMBRAER 170 it has built for Crossair. The roll-out ceremony in São José dos Campos represents a milestone in Crossair’s fleet renewal programme. It will take place in the presence of Marcos Maciel, vice president of Brazil. Because of its ideal size, the new aircraft will play an important part in the European air transport activities of the new Crossair and give the airline a key competitive advantage.
Crossair has placed firm orders for thirty EMBRAER 170s and thirty EMBRAER 190s. Crossair is the first customer for each aircraft type and has thus been able to exert considerable influence on their design. The company is already successfully operating 18 of the smaller ERJ 145s; next year 25 will be in service. The first EMBRAER 170s are scheduled to arrive at the end of 2002. The EMBRAER 190s will be introduced from summer 2004. Crossair holds purchase options on a further 100 Embraer aircraft.
The new Embraer aircraft suit the operating strategy of the new Crossair perfectly. Their size is ideal for the European market and they can therefore be deployed cost effectively. As a result Crossair will gain an important competitive advantage.
Crossair has placed strict conditions on the manufacturer regarding environmental compatibility, passenger comfort and economic efficiency. These have all been met. The new jets will be the market leaders in their respective classes.
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The new family of jets will replace Crossair’s existing fleet, which consists partly of turboprops. The same pilot corps can fly the EMBRAER 170 and EMBRAER 190. Technically the two aircraft are virtually identical. Because jets fly faster than propeller aircraft they shorten flight times. The new regional jets are considerably more comfortable than their predecessors. The cabin noise level is much lower and annoying vibration has been eliminated. Furthermore, no passenger needs to sit in a centre seat, as is the case in other aircraft of their class, because a row has only two pairs of seats.
Aircraft are an airline’s most important and expensive production equipment. It is therefore very important that they are appreciated by its customers. So at an early stage Crossair decided to find out what its passengers thought. A cabin mock-up was used to determine the opinion of important customers. A key point to emerge was the desire for modern communication options. Together with the manufacturer, Crossair is evaluating this area carefully, as well as its technical feasibility and cost.
The maiden flight of the EMBRAER 170 will take place in the next few weeks. It will be followed by the flight-testing programme. Embraer will be using a total of six aircraft for this purpose. On conclusion of the testing phase, certification by the Brazilian civil aviation authority, which is expected by the end of 2002, will be followed by the handover of the first aircraft to Crossair.
Crossair is buying top quality from a successful manufacturer
The Brazilian Embraer company of São José dos Campos, which is one hour`s drive north of São Paulo, is considered to be one of the world`s most efficient manufacturers of regional aircraft. In the past 32 years Embraer has sold more than 5,300 civil and military aircraft. The company tops the list of Brazil`s most important exporters.
Once a state-owned enterprise, Embraer is now a flourishing private-sector com-pany. The financial result for the last business year is impressive: compared with 1999, sales rose by 57% to 5.2 billion reals and profits increased by almost 60% to 645 million reals (1 real = 0.8 CHF). In the year 2000 178 aircraft were delivered, more than 50% more than in 1999. Last December Embraer achieved a production rate of 16 aircraft per month.
The manufacturer has so far received 112 firm orders for its EMBRAER 170 and EMBRAER 190 aircraft, and has purchase options for a further 200 on its books. New assembly shops are currently going into service.
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