Dec 20, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Republic Airways and Embraer sign firm order for 100 E-Jet aircraft

Republic Airways Holdings Inc., the world’s largest operator of E-Jet aircraft, announced today that it has finalized a firm order for 100 E175 aircraft with Embraer, which originally was announced at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England, earlier this year. With this firm order, Republic is in position to begin accepting deliveries during the second half of 2020.

“This order represents another significant advance in our long-standing partnership with Embraer and positions the airline to capitalize on growth opportunities we see developing over the next five years, as more than 300 regional aircraft flown by our competitors reach their natural expiry,” Republic President and CEO Bryan Bedford said. “As the fleet leader on the E-Jet, we know the product better than anyone in the industry, and we believe the E-Jet positions Republic to deliver differentiated value to our codeshare partners and the flying public.”

The contract also provides Republic with purchase rights on an additional 100 E175s, as well as the ability to convert any number of aircraft to Embraer’s E175-E2 platform.

“As we expressed at Farnborough, Republic has been one of our largest and most valuable customers for nearly 20 years, and the confirmation of this order ensures Embraer will be in a position to continue providing a product that appeals to their customers’ increasing demands, while delivering on improved economics,” said John Slattery, president and CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Expanding such a valuable partnership for years to come is a great way to end what has been a very busy and productive year at Embraer,” Slattery continued.

Republic and Embraer’s partnership dates back to 1999, when Republic took delivery of its first ERJ 145. Since then, Republic has acquired approximately 350 Embraer aircraft, and it currently operates a fleet of nearly 190 Embraer 170/175 aircraft for its codeshare partners American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express.

About Republic Airways
Republic Airways, based in Indianapolis, operates a fleet of about 190 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and offers scheduled passenger service with about 950 daily flights to 100 cities in 40 U.S. states, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. The airline provides fixed-fee flights operated under its major airline partner brands of American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. The airline employs about 6,000 aviation professionals. Visit www.rjet.com for more information, follow the Company on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, and connect on Facebook or LinkedIn.