Brazilian carrier Azul has signed a firm deal for a further five Embraer 195s, taking its total commitment to 41 aircraft.
The aircraft come in addition to the five E-190s and 31 E-195s that Azul ordered in March 2008. It still retains its 20 options and purchase rights on a further 20 aircraft.
Announcing the order at the Farnborough air show, Azul chairman David Neeleman said: "These are difficult times in the industry. It is great that Embraer came to us. We needed aircraft and they needed to sell aircraft this year. That's how partnerships work; we help one another out."
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The additional aircraft will be delivered to Azul by the end of this year, taking it to an all-Embraer fleet of 26 aircraft. "We had to announce this deal because the aircraft have started to be painted and word was beginning to get out. It's hard to keep a secret in this industry," jokes Neeleman.
He says the expanded fleet will help improve Azul's economies of scale. "We would have made money every month this year if we had these costs [cost economies]. Being able to help Embraer is win-win for both of us."
Azul plans to configure the aircraft in keeping with its existing fleet, with 118 seats in a single class layout.
Embraer, which values the deal at a list price of $211 million, has already included the aircraft in its second-quarter firm order backlog as undisclosed.
- All the latest news, video and images from the 2010 Farnborough air show - New this year, live streaming video of each day's flying display
Source: Flight Daily News
