Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has done it again with an amazing paint job for one of its new E190-E2 planes.
Fresh from the recent "Shark Profit Hunter" livery, the company has unveiled a snow leopard-themed jet in Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s national air carrier Air Astana yesterday officially unveiled its first of five leased Embraer E190-E2s, making Air Astana the first operator of the type in Central Asia.
The aircraft is configured in a 2-2 layout with 12 seats in business- and 96 in economy-class.
According to ATW (Air Transport World), Air Astana President Peter Foster said, “There is a significant possibility [we will] open new route to points that are far more distant that we have ever imagined with a small aircraft.”
The E-Jet has a range of up to 5,300 kilometers, 1,000 kilometers more than the legacy E190. As a result, Foster said the new aircraft will allow Air Astana to fly to destinations that are about 5.5 hours away, such as Eastern Europe or some points in China.
“We bought the aircraft for its operating economics and as a cost-saving measure. But, actually with its range, we can do quite a lot with it,” he added.
The E190-E2 will eventually replace the current fleet of nine E190s, with one aircraft still grounded following the loss-of-control incident Nov. 11. The lease of the last aircraft is expected to end in 2021.
Foster said the airline expects the second aircraft in April 2019, and the third in the same year. Deliveries are expected to be complete by 2020.
As there are nine E190s to be replaced, Foster said there is possibility of acquiring more aircraft and a decision will be made before the E190 lease expires.
The Embraer E-Jet E2 family are medium-range jet airliners developed by Embraer, succeeding the original E-Jet. The program was launched at the Paris Air Show in 2013. The first variant, the E190-E2, took its first flight on May 23, 2016 and was certified on February 28, 2018 before entering service with Widerøe on April 24.
