Embraer ‘restarts’ E190F program with new launch customer

Embraer announced significant changes to its E-Freighter program, which converts passenger jets to cargo, at the Paris Air Show.

Launched in March 2022, the project was intended to convert hundreds of E190 and E195 jets to freighters over 20 years.

But the program’s reception was lukewarm, with just two customer announcements, Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) and Lanzhou Group, which together signed deals for 30 conversions.

A third customer, lessor Regional One, emerged as the owner of the first converted E190, which flew in 2024, but details of the deal were not disclosed.

That scenario changed on Wednesday at Le Bourget when Embraer revealed that Regional One had ordered two more conversions, which will join two other orders that were not yet known in detail.

Two of the jets will be leased to Bridges Air Cargo of Malta, which will put them into service from the third quarter as the new launch customer for the model. The company currently operates only one ATR 72 freighter.

Gap between turboprops and larger jets

The E-Freighter program was launched with great anticipation by Embraer, amid a growing demand for express deliveries brought about by e-commerce, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the end of health restrictions revived the air travel market while the assembly lines for new aircraft did not keep up with this pace.

The delays ended up inflating the market for second-hand aircraft and the available fleet of E-Jets is said to have decreased.

These signs became clearer recently when reports indicated that NAC had given up on converting its jets and Kenya’s Astral Aviation, which was named as the launch customer, stated that the operating cost of the E190F was too high.

At an earnings conference this year, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto revealed that the company had set aside the E195F conversion project and focused on bringing the E190F to market first.

Converted for cargo, the E190F can transport up to 13.5 tons in its upper and lower compartments, a capacity intermediate between an ATR 72F and a Boeing 737 freighter.

Only one converted E190F has been officially completed, but Embraer is reportedly preparing a second aircraft. The company does not yet disclose details of the program’s conversion backlog in its quarterly reports.

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