China Eastern Wuhan Airlines agrees to buy five locally built ERJ-145s, which could be delivered as early as 2006
Chinese joint venture company Harbin Embraer has won an order from China Eastern Wuhan Airlines for five locally built ERJ-145s.
Embraer China managing director Guan Dong Yuan says China Eastern Wuhan has agreed to buy five aircraft pending final approval from the airline’s board. If the deal is concluded quickly, Wuhan could receive the aircraft in 2006, Guan says. The Wuhan order is in addition to the five ERJ-145s ordered earlier this year by China Eastern’s Jiangsu branch. The first of these aircraft was delivered in August and the second this month. All five aircraft from the first China Eastern deal are to be based in Nanjing, while the five from the second order are to be based in Wuhan, says Guan. He says that even though the Wuhan operation is part of China Eastern it has a different board.
The Wuhan deal will increase the ERJ-145 fleet in China to 21. The other operators are Sichuan Airlines, with five aircraft that were built in Brazil, and China Southern Airlines, with the first six that were built in China.
Source: Flight International
