Few days before, Embraer announced that S7 Airlines will be the first operator of the E170 in the country after receiving the Type Certificates from the Russian authorities for the E170 and E175 jets. The Russian authorities had already certifed the E190 and the E195 in 2012 and the Saratov Airlines has been flying the E195 since 2013.
The airline signed a deed with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) to lease 17 E170 pre-owned jets. By early 2017, the airline will start to receive the aircraft.
“Once again, GECAS joins Embraer to provide aircraft to the Russian market,” said Arjan Meijer, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We welcome S7 Airlines to the growing E-Jets operators’ family. We are delighted to see the E170 in operation with one of the largest Russian Airlines, supporting the airline as it spreads its wings around Russia. S7 is now the carrier with the largest network outside Moscow serving regional and intra-regional markets.”
“New E170s will allow us to gain momentum in the development of regional air transportation. We see this segment as highly potential. Today, air transportation is concentrated in Moscow, and passengers from Ural cities often have to fly to the Far East through a connecting flight in Moscow. The first Embraers will be based at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport which is located well enough to serve as an efficient hub for other regions. The new type of airliners will allow us to launch flights from small and hard to reach cities, where the use of medium-haul aircrafts is impossible,” said Vladimir Obyedkov, CEO of S7 Airlines.
“The introduction of the E170 into the S7 fleet is the result of our thorough analysis of the airline’s growing needs”, said Alec Burger, GECAS President & CEO.
The E-Jets have their strong presence in Poland, Finland, and Bulgaria as well as in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries Embraer is the world’s best manufacturer of commercial jets with more than 130 seats and over 100 customers around the globe operating the ERJ and E-Jet families of aircraft. For the E-Jets program, Embraer has logged more than 1,700 orders and over 1,300 deliveries, refining the traditional approach of regional aircraft by operating across a variety of business applications.
