Swiss regional airline Helvetic Airways took formal delivery of its third Embraer E190-E2, HB-AZC, at Zurich Airport yesterday (Monday) evening.

The third member of Helvetic Airways’ new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft fleet arrived in Zurich on schedule on Monday evening at 22:28 Swiss local time. HB-AZC had crossed the Atlantic in a little over 11 hours, following the now-traditional delivery route with intermediate stops in Recife (Brazil) and Las Palmas (Spain).

Far lower fuel consumption and highly reliable technology

After four months in service, Helvetic Airways’ first two Embraer E190-E2s have fulfilled all their Brazilian manufacturer’s simulation-based promises in performance terms. In fact, their lower fuel consumption of almost 20% is well below Embraer’s simulation results and projections, and fully meets Helvetic’s expectations. With its new aircraft technologies, the E190-E2 has also proved extremely dependable in Helvetic service, with a technical reliability approaching 99%.

These positive initial experiences have further convinced Helvetic Airways of the rightness of its fleet equipment strategy. The new Embraer E190-E2s will also enable the Swiss airline to achieve its medium-term objective of operating Europe’s most advanced and ecofriendly regional aircraft fleet by 2021.

Ongoing fleet renewal

HB-AZC should enter revenue service as early as Wednesday 26 February, operating flights within Europe on SWISS’s behalf. Its arrival brings the Helvetic Airways fleet to 14 aircraft: eleven Embraer E190-E1s and three E190-E2s.

The delivery schedule for Helvetic Airways’ further new Embraer E190-E2s will speed up in the next few months. Four more aircraft will follow by this summer, bringing the E190-E2 contingent to seven aircraft in all. Parallel to this, three of the airline’s first-generation Embraer E190-E1s will be withdrawn.