One of the first E2s is returned to Embraer

Despite being almost brand new and having flown very little, an Embraer E190-E2 was returned to Brazil this week.

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This aircraft was flying for the Scandinavian airline Widerøe but was originally destined for Fuzhou Airlines, a subsidiary of the HNA Group, which is currently facing a major crisis and had to give up on the new-generation Brazilian aircraft.

With no firm owner, the E190-E2 serial number 19020015, manufactured in 2019, would have been offered to Air Astana, who did not accept the aircraft and is currently in the middle of discussions with Embraer.

Finally, in June 2019, the unit started operating for Widerøe with the registration LN-WEX, being the company’s fourth aircraft. However, the company had only ordered 3 Embraer E190-E2s, being this extra aircraft support to the fleet during the summer of that year. It should be recalled that Widerøe also has purchase options for twelve E190s, but has never executed them.

So for summer closure, Widerøe terminated the excess E190-E2 and returned it to Embraer in November 2019. Since then, the unit was stored in Alverca, at the facilities of OGMA, Embraer’s subsidiary in Portugal, and then moved to the United States, in the city of Nashville, capital of Tennessee.

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Finally, the aircraft left the southern United States to return to Brazil, passing through Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and arriving in Manaus, from where it flew tonight to San Jose dos Campos, its birthplace, according to RadarBox data.

According to what was reported by our Brazilian partner media Aeroin, the aircraft is registered as 9H-AHY, with the prefix «9H» from Malta, a country where many lessors go because of its tax benefits.

Although it is not known why the aircraft returned to Brazil, what is clear is that it may be used by a new operator in a very short time.