Paul Lewis/SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS
Continental Express is committed to replacing its entire fleet of 98 turboprop aircraft with new Embraer ERJ-135/145 jets within five years, but has ruled out a near-term requirement for a larger 70-seat regional transport.
The Continental Airlines subsidiary has ordered 75 ERJ-145s and 25 smaller 37-seat ERJ-135s and holds options on a further 75 and 50 jets respectively. "We're not going to stop at 100 aircraft, we're going to keep going," says Continental Express president David Siegel.
Embraer has delivered 36 ERJ-145s to the Houston-based carrier since December 1996, including 18 this year. A further 24 aircraft are due for delivery in 1999, including handover of the first ERJ-135 in July, and 30 more aircraft in 2000.
Recent deliveries have been used primarily to open new markets and expand Continental Express's network of 81 destinations served from its three main hubs at Cleveland, Houston and Newark. The carrier's intention is to eventually phase out of service all its 32 Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias, 25 Raytheon Beech1900C/Ds, 38 ATR 42s and three ATR 72s, although some ATR 72s may be retained longer.
"We remain flexible in that endeavour," says Siegel. "We're committed to an all-jet fleet, but the extent that we transition to an all-jet fleet sooner than the five-year target means that we as a company have to grow more slowly. We are faced with having to balance growth with replacement of the turboprop fleet."
However, Continental Express's fleet planning does not yet include provision for a 70-seat size regional jet to bridge the gap between its ERJ-145s and mixed fleet of 165 Boeing 737s. The airline's recently concluded new contract with its pilots extends to October 2002 and includes scope clauses restricting the use of regional aircraft to a 59-seat ceiling.
Siegel adds that longer term, various factors could favour a switch to a larger jet, including future airport slot and airspace restrictions, wider public acceptance and familiarity with alliance codeshares and greater opportunities to cut cockpit costs.
Source: Flight International
