BRIAN DUNN / MONTREAL
Canadian airline may take regional jets from Brazilian manufacturer in preference to expanding its 737 fleet
Canada's WestJet Airlines is considering an Embraer 190 or 195 purchase, joining JetBlue and Southwest Airlines as the latest low-cost airline to be linked with a move to a regional jet operation. This could put pressure on Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, which has no competing 100-seat aircraft.
WestJet, which operates 43 Boeing 737-200s and -700s, and has purchase options for another 44 aircraft, says it is looking at several options. Embraer presented its 170 at WestJet's Calgary base last week and the airline is understood to favour an undisclosed number of 98-seat 190s or 108-seat 195s over additional 737s.
An Embraer purchase would strengthen the Brazilian manufacturer's position in the low-cost sector. In June, New York-based JetBlue ordered 100 190LRs, while Southwest admitted last month that it is 'casually' looking at 100-seat regional jets. Southwest is not keen on 50- or 70-seat jets, but larger regional jets may have a place in its fleet.
The lack of an equivalent offering from Bombardier means pressure is mounting for it to revive studies of its own 100-seat aircraft. Its largest offering is the 86-seat CRJ900, which entered service in January. Bombardier Aerospace president Pierre Beaudoin says a 100-seat regional jet is being considered, but any development programme could take four to five years.
A WestJet expansion would be bad news for bankruptcy-protected Air Canada, as WestJet would compete more aggressively. Air Canada also plans a fleet renewal, hoping to replace about 40 larger aircraft with around 85- to 110-seat aircraft.
Source: Flight International
