Embraer will become the latest plane manufacturer to promote its aircraft in Zagreb as Croatia Airlines looks to renew its Airbus fleet. The Brazilian jet maker will demonstrate its E2 “Profit Hunter” aircraft in the Croatian capital on October 14, where it will pitch its product and operate a demonstration flight. The E-Jet E2 family are medium jet airliners which come in three variants, succeeding the original E-Jet. These include the E175-E2, with the capacity to seat between eighty and 88 passengers, depending on cabin layout, the E190-E2, capable of accommodating between 96 and 104 travellers, and the E195-E2, seating between 120 and 132 passengers, which will be demonstrated in Zagreb.
Croatia Airlines has previously considered operating Embraer aircraft, more precisely the E190. In 2015, the then CEO of the carrier, Krešimir Kučko, said, “If Croatia Airlines was to buy more aircraft today it would choose an Embraer model. What we are missing now are 100-seaters”. Under a post-Covid strategy, recently drafted by the Boston Consulting Group for Croatia Airlines, the carrier is to acquire between twelve to fifteen planes to replace its aging Airbus fleet. The company intends on acquiring the jets through a financial lease, similar to the Dash 8 turboprops it currently operates, with the process expected to take five years to complete. The Croatian government is yet to discuss and approve the post-Covid strategy, which has not been made public. Airbus pitched its A220 aircraft in Zagreb two weeks ago, with Croatia Airlines noting the jet would be a “perfect fit” for its fleet.
The E2 has the lowest fuel consumption per seat and per trip among 120 to 150-seat aircraft. They are certified to the strictest international noise standards, with a noise footprint that is up to 76% smaller than previous-generation narrow-body aircraft, making it the quietest single-aisle jet flying today. The aircraft also emit fewer annual tons of CO2 than the Airbus jets currently in Croatia Airlines’ fleet. Its cabins feature a 2-2 configuration and large windows with scooped sidewall panels. Its range depends on the variant, however, the E195-E2 has a range of 4.815 kilometres. Over 200 orders have been made for the E2 jets, with Switzerland’s Helvetic Airways currently being the biggest operator. Other European airlines utilising the jets include KLM, Belavia, Widroe and Binter Canarias.
Now this is getting interesting
ReplyDeleteEmbraers are great planes and it is a nice feeling flying on them. They are also very comfortable for passengers.
ReplyDeleteThis is a more realistic option for OU in my opinion. The plane is cheaper and leasing houses have them on order
ReplyDeleteTrue. They are cheaper and also there are a lot of second hand aircraft that can be found.
DeleteSecond hand E2s? Don't think so.
DeleteSecond hand E2?
DeleteSeems everyone wants to get that Croatia Airlines order.
ReplyDeleteHave you not just witnessed the greatest downturn in aviation history? Who would not fight tooth and nail for every single order. Oh and it's a publicity generating exercise, can't hurt.
DeleteYes but I doubt Airbus and Embraer would be conducting demo flights in Zagreb if they thoought OU was not serious about renewing its fleet.
DeleteWould love to see it in Croatia Airlines' livery.
ReplyDeleteHas OU ever had Embraers in its fleet?
DeleteNever. Not even wet lease
DeleteWhich one is better, the A220 or E195-E2?
ReplyDelete290/295 in all aspects
DeleteYou mean 190/195s?
DeleteHere is a good article comparing the two
Deletehttps://travelradar.aero/big-battle-of-the-smaller-jets-airbus-a220-300-vs-embraer-e195-e2/
Interesting read, thank you
DeleteThe main issue is that OU has over 8 million tied up with Airbus from the A320neo order which is being cancelled.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure Embraer is aware of it and might put together a great offer for Croatia Airlines.
DeleteI guess it is hard for Embrear to compete with Airbus over the A220 with over 8million€ sitting on Airbus accounts.
ReplyDeleteIf you ask me, perfect aircraft for OU. It's hard to say this, but even better than Airbus in current OU flight schedule
ReplyDeleteWhy are they better than Airbus in current OU schedule?
DeleteSmaller capacity.
DeleteSmaller planes would not necessarily be more profitable for Croatia Airlines.
DeleteLet's hope OU actually gets one from any manufacturer.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is encouraging that both Airbus and Embraer came or are coming to Zagreb. It probably means Croatia Airlines is for once serious about fleet renewal.
DeleteCroatiavanje!
DeleteIf you get a good price for those Embraers why not?
ReplyDeleteGood planes
ReplyDeleteIt would be better for them to go for the E190 which is a 100 seater. Their load factors will shoot up and they will reduce their costs.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't be a headache for them to move to a completely new plane type?
ReplyDeleteA220 would be a new plane type too.
DeleteIndeed. I forgot the A220 is actually the CSeries.
DeleteOverall, OU seems to be going towards capacity downscaling. Smaller, more economical planes. In the long run, it's aspirations will be limited to developing into a notable regional player, but nothing more than that.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThis way it will officially become the new Air Dolomiti.
DeleteIt is very difficult for someone to sit on the fence and have an opinion on what fleet would best suit OU or any other airline because the variables which differ from airline to airline and what an airline would be offered is something we can only speculate on.
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, didn't they demo this plane in Podgorica a couple of years back?
ReplyDeleteYes in 2019. They proposed for Montenegro Airlines to move from classic Embraers to the E2s.
DeleteThey should have chosen Embraer over the Dash from the very beginning. Much more reliable aircraft than Dash.
ReplyDeleteProvide evidence for your claim
DeleteNice looking livery on that jet.
ReplyDeleteI just hope this effort won't be for nothing.
ReplyDeleteWhy should they focus on Embraer? An aircraft type they never had in the fleet with need to train crew, get maintenance certification and loose deposit with Airbus.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Airbus will return the deposit?
DeleteEmbraer would probably cover the cost of crew training.
DeletePeople keep talking about that deposit as if it will buy them 15 brand new A220. Not gonna happen.
DeleteOU never had the A220 either. It's the CSeries with a new name.
DeleteGreat news but I think Croatia Airlines will edge towards Airbus.
ReplyDeleteI hope they invite executive from the region as well. Some airlines are in desperate need of a fleet renewal.
ReplyDeleteExecutives from the region? You mean competitors? Not gonna happen.
DeleteMy advice to them would first be to replace the management and those that make the decision behind the scenes. A lot of issues would be resolved that way.
ReplyDeleteThey should first start working on a response to Ryanair since they didn't seem to have the time to do that in the past 6 months since Ryanair announced its arrival in Zagreb.
Delete"Profit hunter" is a written on the fuselage says it all : It will be Airbus. OU is not after the profits, they are after "prestige". Prestige of serving Mutti.
ReplyDeleteWhy is "profit hunter" on the fuselage an issue? :D
DeleteAs said, Croatia is not a profit hunter, hence the sign will not attract them.
DeleteOU has to decide soon on the future aircraft and work out a duable financial model. Their business model is not working and also the Govt needs to decide whether or not they want OU. In any case, both models are great for OU for pre and post season period.
DeleteWhat is the list price for the E2s?
ReplyDeleteThe E190-E2 unit cost is around US$53.
DeleteAnd what about the A220?
DeleteE2's is a better plane over the A220. Embraer has one of the best OEM customer support among the a/c manufacturers. Airbus is good too, but at different scale. A220 was designed by Bombardier in the 90's and Canadians are (were) not best plane builders (CRJ, Q, ...) E2 is about 25-30% fuel efficient over E1 which is a lot, but it has some other disadvantages over E1. Note, bot planes are fantastic (actually I don't like A220) but consider they are new planes on the market. Both are way too expensive for an airline in OU position and beside the high lease costs there are also the phase -in implementation costs, which someone should count. For OU would be more realistic to get some midlife E1's and some midlife buses in a good shape. A220 could be an overkill for OU (issues with engines) and E2 could be troublesome (Astana).
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Thanks for that analysis
DeleteI also think that new aircraft isn't a way to go for OU. Just as you wrote, better to increase the fleet with midlife Airbus' which would be cheaper for OU to acquire. Going for anything else would overcomplicate their fleet which isn't that big.
DeleteJU seems to be following a similar strategy, increasing its fleet with roughly 10 yo A319's which, prior to the pandemic seemed to be working well for them.
A220 and E2 are great planes, but I think for the Croatian maintenance group, A220 is a much better option..aircraft mechanic already have a license for Airbus and replacement parts are almost the same..
ReplyDeleteMakes much more sense in my opinion.
DeleteHow can mechanics and parts be the same as Airbus if the A220 was actually designed by Bombardier as the CSeries? Has Airbus changed the design to make the A220 common with the A320 already?
DeleteIt is pretty interesting fact that Airbus, now Embrarer focusing only for Croatia Airlines and Zagreb, although those aircrafts will be great solution also for Air Serbia too
ReplyDeleteThey are focusing on Zagreb because Croatia Airlines has publicly announced it is renewing its fleet. Air Serbia on the other hand doesn't seem to have any plans to purchase new aircraft.
DeleteIts executives are content with 30 year old regional aircraft.
DeleteSeems so unfortunately.
Delete@ 10,07
DeleteThere has been rumors that JU was offered new ATR's shortly prior to the pandemic. The Airbus deposit was to be used for purchasing the ATR's.
However, JU did intend to bring in newer ATR's (2?) for 2020 summer season. I believe ex NZ aircraft.
Jat was once interested in the Embraer to replace B727/DC9. I think in 2004 or 2005 they even sent an Embraer and it operated a promotional flight between Belgrade and Podgorica.
Delete@JATBEGMEL
DeleteI think there is no longer any justification or excuse for them keeping those ATRs in the fleet. They are in bad shape, uncomfortable and noisy. I feel sorry for people who have to fly longer flights like Prague.
@ 16,10
DeleteAnd just recently there was outrage that JU retired the B733's which are older than the ATR's.
I'm not giving any excuses, however saying that they haven't been doing anything isn't exactly true either. Fleet renewal costs money, and for an airline that still relies on government subsidies to stay alive, I guess this is the best they can do. Slowly, the fleet is being renewed while finances have seen some improvement.
OU's finances are worse, so it will be interesting to see where cash to fund brand new aircraft will come through, lease or no lease.
As for PRG, I'm not sure why JU insist on sending the ATR there. It used to be a DC9/B727 destination for JU back in the early 2000's. I guess that's a topic for another day.
Maybe the CCO can do another sweet deal with his friends at smartwings to sort out the ATR problem about it flying to PRG ? I mean, why stop at summer wetleases and flight announcements to Canary Islands ?
DeleteWhen will the implementation of this post Covid strategy begin? When is the government supposed to vote on it?
ReplyDeleteProbably when they find a way how they are going to finance those plans.
DeleteIt will happen sooner rather than later.
DeleteAny would be fine. Just do something because the world and competition have not stopped while you choose aircraft and consider new routes.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that so many companies are falling for OU PR, considering that even a cursory glance at their financial performance makes it very obvious they can't afford to purchase any aircraft, let alone new models. And don't embarrass yourselves by writing "sale and leaseback" because no creditor in the world would underwrite that.
ReplyDeleteFunds will be provided by the government as part of green deal with EU.
DeleteI'm sure Airbus and Embraer falling for OU's PR... What does OU have to gain from this sort of PR exactly?
DeleteSure, the EU will use the GREEN deal funds to help the Croatian state funnel illegal money into a loss-making carrier so they can buy AIRCRAFT. How many logical hoops can you fit into a single idea?
DeleteOU is doing what JP was doing before its demise. Trying to project the image of a strong, sustainable and future-proof carrier when the reality is anything but, in the hope of receiving more free money. It wouldn't work before, and it will especially not work with FR looking over their shoulder.
Exciting to see these big manufacturers lining up at Zagreb Airport.
ReplyDeleteNext up - Sukhoi :D
DeleteKucko was interested in Sukhois as well at one point.
DeletePlot twist: they will end up buying Sukhoi's :)
ReplyDeleteConsidering Sukhoi is chasing anyone they can I can guarantee they will send an offer to OU. Probably offer 20 jets for popcorn. They did the same for Adria.
DeleteThere is absolutely no chance whatsoever in this entire world Croatia would ever buy anithing made in Russia!
DeleteNot even vodka? Or a desperately needed spellchecker?
DeleteSo PR-ZIQ is coming to Zagreb :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder what routing it will take considering it is currently in Brazil.
DeleteIt will probably be part of some wider European tour. I doubt they will just send it to Zagreb.
DeleteTrue, the A220 was also part of a tour. It came from Dublin and then went to Kiev after Zagreb.
DeleteThey should visit other places in the region too. BEG with potential Air Serbia customer, TGD with Air Montenegro an existing Embraer customer and TIA with potential Air Albania customer.
DeleteOr simply invite them all to Zagreb next month.
DeleteAt the A220 demo there were representatives from Croatia Airlines, Trade Air, Air Montenegro and ETF Airways present.
DeleteThese have a good range
ReplyDeleteThe jungle jet
ReplyDeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteGood news for the Croatian aviation industry.
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, it's nice that they are coming to do a demo flight but how does that change anything in the Croatian aviation industry?
DeleteEmbraer visit and demo to Montenegro Airlines was a bad omen. Shortly after airline went bankrupt.
DeleteEmbraer visit and demo to Croatia Airlines could also be the sign of what will happen next. Arguably that could be good news for Croatian aviation, taxpayers and passengers looking for low fares.
The E2 are state-of-art aircraft. It's unbeatable in comfort for passengers, quiet, relaxing. I hope to see them in Croatia Airlines very soon.
ReplyDelete''Profit Hunter''
ReplyDelete