Embraer flies E195-E2 ahead of schedule

Ten months after the first flight of the E190-E2, Embraer performed the inaugural flight of another member of the E2 family ahead of schedule. On March 29, the E195-E2, the largest aircraft of the family took off for the first time. The flight, originally scheduled for the second half of the year, happened just three weeks after the roll out. With a 20% lower cost per trip and a cost per seat similar to larger aircraft, the E195-E2 is the ideal aircraft for regional business growth as well as to complement existing low-cost business plans and mainline fleets. The airplane will save up to 24% in fuel and 20% in maintenance costs per seat, when compared to the current E195. The E195-E2 departed at 11:22 a.m., local time, from Embraer’s facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, and flew for two hours, beginning the aircraft certification campaign. The flight crew evaluated aircraft performance, flight quality and systems behavior, such as autopilot, fly-by-wire in direct mode, and the landing gear retraction.