Embraer E195-E2 debuts at London City Airport
London City Airport debuted a new aircraft on its regular flights on Wednesday after the landing of the Embraer E195-E2, registered HB-AZI, from Helvetic Airlines.
This is the largest commercial aircraft from the Brazilian manufacturer, which took over Swiss flight LX456, which took off from Zurich at 11:45 a.m. and landed in London at noon (local time).
Helvetic itself called in spotters to photograph the aircraft's arrival in London.
Swiss normally flies the Airbus A220-100 on the route, but transfers some flights to fellow Swiss airline Helvetic, under an ACMI arrangement.
London City Airport has the Embraer E-Jets as its most popular aircraft type, but the E195-E2 had not yet been used despite having received approval from the CAA UK to operate there.
With 134 seats, the E195-E2 carries nine more passengers than the A220-100, which is currently the largest aircraft operating at London City.
Known for its proximity to London’s financial centers, such as the City and Canary Wharf, the airport has only one runway measuring just over 1,500 meters long.
Because it is located in a populated area, the UK aviation authorities restrict operations at the airport in order to avoid disturbing residents.
Steep approach
To fly at London City Airport, you must have authorization for the ‘steep approach’, a procedure in which planes stay further away from the ground and land at a steeper angle to reduce noise.
Last year, the airport was given permission to expand its operations, but only on the condition that aircraft up to the size of the E195-E2 and A220-300 be used.
However, London City Airport management is trying to approve the operation of the Airbus A320neo, an aircraft with a capacity of around 180 passengers, which could increase the number of seats available without creating new flights.
In addition to Helvetic, KLM may in the future add its E195-E2s to fly to the airport, but for now it has only used the first-generation E-Jets from Amsterdam.
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Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
