African carrier Congo Airways has ordered another pair of Embraer E2 regional jets, with an agreement to take two E195-E2s.
Congo Airways had previously ordered two of the smaller E190-E2.
Embraer values the overall package of four aircraft at $272 million, at catalogue prices.
The Congo Airways order will be included in the Brazilian airframer’s fourth-quarter backlog figures for 2020.
Deliveries are set to commence in 2022, although Embraer says it will continue to review the date with the airline.
Congo Airways chief executive Desire Bantu says the airline sees an “opportunity in our market” for the operator to “emerge stronger”, despite the air transport crisis.
“These new jets will allow us to extend our passenger and cargo operations regionally to high-demand destinations such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Abidjan,” he says.
“We will have the flexibility, and the right-sized, most efficient aircraft, to serve our customers as the market returns.”
Congo Airways will configure the larger jets in a two-class layout of 120 seat, including 12 in the business-class cabin. Its E190-E2s have a 96-seat configuration.
Embraer argues that the E2 enables carriers to adjust capacity on routes previously operated by larger single-aisle types, while maintaining frequency.
