Airliner World – May 2018

News Review • International

22 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018

NORWEGIAN REGIONAL carrier
Widerøe has taken delivery of the first
Embraer E190-E2. The aircraft was
handed over at the manufacturer’s São
José dos Campos facility on April 4
in front of VIPs, global media and
hundreds of Embraer staff.
Embraer employees, Ricardo Tadeu
Costa and Bruna Marcelino Rosa,
emerged through a sea of their dancing
colleagues to present a ceremonial
key for the maiden jet, LN-WEA
(c/n 19020009) to Widerøe CEO Stein
Nilsen and Chairman Roger Granheim.
It is the first of three firm orders for
Widerøe, with the second aircraft due
for delivery in May and the third in June.
Widerøe has configured its E190-E2s in
a high-density 114-seat single class
layout with a 29in pitch. Every seat has
a tablet holder and high voltage power
outlet and the aircraft has been
prepared for high-speed (250mbps+)
internet. The airline has selected
a solution from Panasonic which is
expected to become available at the
end of 2019.
Widerøe CEO Nilsen said: “The E190-E2
is an impressive aircraft. It is the ideal
airplane for Widerøe as we introduce
jets for the first time in the company’s
84-year history. I am convinced our
passengers are going to love the cabin,
our operations people are going to
embrace the new technology, while our
financial collaborators will appreciate
the economics the aircraft permits.”
Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, Embraer
President & CEO, praised the effort
of the company’s staff: “[An] amazing
team of 18,000 people made this day
possible. It was your passion for the
challenge that brought us here.”
Nilsen said the airline was working
“very hard” to make the launch a
success and emphasised the
importance of “right-sizing” for a
small regional carrier, which he
believes Embraer’s E2 family achieves.

Widerøe Welcomes Maiden Embraer E2

Entry into Service

The maiden jet touched down in

Norway for the first time on April 12,

when it arrived at the airline’s Bergen

hub. It’s delivery flight took it from São

José dos Campos to Recife, where it

cleared customs. It then left Brazilian

airspace, touching down in Las Palmas

for a technical stop. From here the

aircraft routed to Aberdeen, where it

stayed for a day prior to arriving home

in Norway. Andreas Aks, Widerøe’s

Deputy COO and project leader for the

E2 programme, revealed the aircraft

had made the journey from Las Palmas

to Bergen without needing to refuel in

Aberdeen. While there was a minimum

number of people on board the aircraft

and no freight, Aks said the airline had

been impressed by the low fuel burn.

The first commercial flight took place

on the morning of April 24, from

Bergen to Tromsø. On that route, the

E2 will shave around 20 minutes off

the flight time, compared with the

existing Bombardier Dash 8-Q400.

“The E2 represents not only a major

change in our service offering but

also a massive change to the entire

Widerøe organisation,” Nilsen told

guests at a hangar party in Bergen.

“Finally, the day has arrived [for us to

introduce] a majestic aeroplane with

the potential to fulfil dreams for us

working at Widerøe. Special thanks

TOP & MAIN • E190-E2, LN-WEA, arrives in Bergen

at the end of its delivery flight from Brazil.

AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/KIM VANVIK

ABOVE LEFT • Embraer staff Ricardo Tadeu Costa

and Bruna Marcelino Rosa deliver the

ceremonial key to the first jet. EMBRAER