South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has certified the Embraer's E-Jets E2 family aircraft.
Good news for South Africa's Airlink as the carrier is acquiring 10 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
Airlink that's operating Embraer aircraft since 2001, to strengthens its two-decade relationship with the Brazilian manufacturer.
An US-based lessor is supplying the newly built E2s to Airlink in collaboration with Embraer and Pratt & Whitney.
Airlink currently operates a 68-strong fleet and in 2024 welcomed Qatar Airways as a 25% equity partner.
The first Airlink Embraer E195-E2, Powered by PW1900G engines, is expected to enter service by December 2025.
On 28 February 2018, the E190-E2 received its type certificate from the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), the Regulatory authority of the country of manufacturer and now Embraer’s E-Jets E2 family has received the Type Acceptance Certification from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA); in a milestone for the aircraft’s global presence and footprint for the African market.
The certification follows the global aviation standards already met by the aircraft through certifications from the FAA (US), EASA (Europe), ANAC (Brazil), CAAS (Singapore) and CAAC (China), Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) and Mongolia Civil Aviation Authority (MCAA).
Stephan Hannemann, SVP for Africa and Middle East, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said:
“This certification opens new opportunities for the aircraft, which has already attained significant success across the world,”
“Passengers can now look forward to experiencing the E2’s class-leading comfort very soon.”
Embraer transitioned from its previous E-jets to the upgraded E2 family of aircraft to meet the growing market demand in terms of operational flexibility and match capacity with demand.
Embraer claims that E190-E2 and E195-E2 are the most fuel-efficient single aisle aircraft flying today, delivering 17.3% and 29% better fuel efficiency per seat respectively, compared to previous generation E-Jets.
The Type certification is just on time and announcement is here to match the fleet expansion drive by South Africa’s Airlink , that has recently finalized a lease agreement with an US-based lessor for 10 new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.
The first deliveries are expected later this year, with the full fleet arriving by 2027. These aircraft will seat up to 136 passengers in Embraer’s comfortable two-by-two configuration and will support Airlink’s growth across high-density and emerging routes in sub-Saharan Africa.
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said:
“With Embraer firmly established as the market leader in the up to 150 seat segment in Africa, this region is a key focus for us. As a long-standing Embraer customer, it’s great that Airlink will soon be South Africa’s first E2 operator. This aircraft is the most efficient single-aisle jet and is perfectly suited to support Airlink’s ambitious growth plans across Southern Africa.”
Airlink CEO, de Villiers Engelbrecht, said:
“South Africa’s type acceptance of the latest generation Embraer E195-E2 and its Pratt & Whitney engines by the SACAA are important milestones as we prepare to receive and take them into service. The E2’s additional capacity and range will let Airlink respond to increased demand on some of our most popular routes and extend our destination network so that we can provide convenient connections for customers in new markets."
The type acceptance process was closely supported by Embraer’s engine partner Pratt & Whitney, as the E2’s next generation PW1900G engines were, in parallel, certified in South Africa.
As per Embraer, with SACAA certification now in place, Embraer’s E2 jets are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of aviation in South Africa and beyond.
Worth mentioning here, in July this year, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) entered into an agreement with Embraer to buy 45 units of E195-E2 aircraft, with purchase rights for an additional 10 aircraft.
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