American Airlines orders 19 Embraer 175/170 for its regional carrier Envoy Air

Envoy Air, the regional subsidiary of American Airlines, announced the acquisition of 19 additional Embraer aircraft: eight Embraer 175 and eleven Embraer 170.

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This announcement continues the orders made throughout 2023, which include six E175 in March, seven E175 and five E170 in June, and four E175 in October; with deliveries scheduled for mid-2024. With these additions, the Embraer fleet of Envoy Air will total 169 aircraft, including 126 E175 and 43 E170.

Envoy Air introduced the E175 in its operations in 2016, with a cabin configuration of 76 seats in two classes. Like the E170, it is equipped with General Electric CF34-8E engines, each providing 14,200 pounds (62.28 kN) of thrust.

According to Cirium, Envoy Air operates both models and offers approximately 1200 daily flights to more than 160 destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. The Embraer aircraft are based in key locations such as Dallas/Fort Worth (190 daily flights), Chicago/O’Hare (90), New York/La Guardia (70), Washington/National (70), and Miami (60).

«This measured and sustained success is a direct result of Envoy’s commitment to safety, quality, and cost,» stated Pedro Fábregas, President and CEO of Envoy.

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«These three principles are fundamental to everything we do and allow us to provide safe, high-performance, and profitable regional service for the thousands of customers we serve daily, for American Airlines Group and its shareholders, and for more than 19,700 Envoy employees in the Pacific, North America, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean,» he added.

The Importance of the Embraer 175/170 in the United States

Currently, the Embraer E170/175 is enjoying considerable success in the United States, with 648 aircraft delivered and about 50 more pending. American airlines represent a market share of 86% of deliveries of the Brazilian model

The E170/175 is specifically suited to the U.S. market, aligning with the parameters set in the «scope clause». This clause not only defines the seat limit for regional flights but also specifies the size of the aircraft. Due to its higher passenger and cargo capacity, American airlines see it as the ideal aircraft to enhance their regional flight operations.

See Also: SkyWest orders 19 Embraer E175 aircraft to expand United’s regional offering

The E175-E2 is considered the natural successor to the first-generation E175, but its capabilities place it above the limits stipulated by the clause for regional aircraft. As a result, development of the new generation E175 was paused until 2028.

See Also: The Embraer E175-E2 completed its first flight

Embraer and American airlines have been advocating for the FAA to revise these clauses for years, but the agency has yet to issue a final opinion. With the changing market dynamics in the coming years, this could present an opportunity for Embraer to gain approval and introduce the E175 E2 in the challenging but lucrative U.S. market.

Until then, Embraer will continue to offer the first-generation E-Jet E175, which remains the market leader and the most efficient and comfortable commercial aircraft in the 76-seat category.