Belavia places firm order for two Embraer jets

The carrier will get one E175 and one Е195 (Belavia)

Belarusian flagship carrier Belavia has placed a firm order with Embraer for one each of the E175 regional jet and its more spacious modification, the E195. The contract was signed at the Paris Air Show.

Both aircraft should be delivered in 2018, the carrier says. The contract’s value is believed to stand at $99.1 million in catalog prices.

Belavia currently operates four Embraer aircraft: two E195s and two E175s. No additional type training will be required for the airline’s crew to operate the new airliners.

The Belarusian ailrine is among the most active operators of Embraer aircraft globally. Last June it ranked first in the OEM’s rating by utilization rate, with its Embraer fleet flying an average of 11.02 hours per airframe daily.

The two new airliners, which are being purchased as part of Belavia’s fleet renovation strategy, will enable the carrier to reach its traffic growth targets. Last year the Belarusian carrier outperformed its passenger traffic forecast. It carried 2.5 million passengers, up 19.1% on 2015.

The airline also operates five Boeing 737-800s, six 737-500s, seven 737-300s, and four Bombardier CRJ100/200LRs.