News Review • International
http://www.airlinerworld.com 23Widerøe Welcomes Maiden Embraer E2
showing the Norwegian market this
beautiful aeroplane.”
Widerøe sees the E190-E2 playing a
key role as it looks to develop
heavy traffic flows from the west
coast of Norway to the north, tapping
into a growing demand from tourists.
At present many passengers are
required to fly from Bergen to Oslo
before travelling north, but Widerøe
is looking to provide more direct links
from Bergen.
Nilsen explained: “We have
developed a unique network over
decades, serving our customers from
nearly every airport in Norway, not
because it is easy but because it is an
important part of the transportation
infrastructure. The E190-E2 gives us
the opportunity to strengthen some of
our key routes in today’s network,
especially between the west coast
and the northern part of Norway.”
Widerøe will gradually introduce
the aircraft into its network, with
Nilsen describing its workload until
August as “low-utilisation”. Both
Embraer and engine provider Pratt
& Whitney have teams in Norway to
assist with any challenges the airline
may encounter.
“As launch customer we’ve prepared
for issues,” explained Nilsen, “but I’m
really confident in the product.”Leading the Way
John Slattery, CEO & President,
Embraer Commercial Aircraft, invited
Widerøe to be the launch operator for
the E2 family after visiting the airline
to get a feel for the carrier’s operation.
“When I spent time with Widerøe, it
dawned on me this is not an airline;
this is somewhere between an airline,an engine and airframe OEM and an
MRO, working in some of the harshest
parts of the planet, inside the Arctic
Circle. I took a lot of the flights to
experience it first-hand and I could
not think of a customer I would rather
have as our launch operator. You will
always and forever be in Embraer’s
history books.”
The Embraer Commercial Aviation
boss also believes the E2 will resonate
deeply with Norwegians, who are
renowned for their environmentally
friendly outlook.
“This is the lowest fuel-burn aircraft
in the segment,” he declared. “This is
the quietest commercial jet aircraft in
the world in production today. It
is also the quietest cabin of any
narrowbody aircraft that is flying in
the world today. Because of that
fuel burn, this has the lowest CO²
emissions of any jet built today... and
also the lowest NOx emissions. With
your partnership Widerøe we are
showing the world that you can match
economic sustainability... and respect
for the planet that we live on.”
Widerøe has 12 options for the E-Jets
family but said it wouldn’t take a
decision on exercising those until after
the summer. However, Nilsen made
no secret of the company’s interest in
the smallest member of the E2 family,
the E175-E2, which is due to enter
service in 2021. If all rights are
exercised, the total value of Widerøe’s
order with Embraer is approximately
$873m.
The arrival of the E-Jets has enabled
the airline to undertake a network
expansion. This summer the E2
will fly to Hamburg and Munich,
while the increased capacity has
freed up some of the airline’s Q400s
to enable the turboprop to be
used on its new Kristiansand to
London/Stansted service.from us at Widerøe to Embraer;
we are so honoured and humbled
that you chose us, a small company
in Norway, to be your launch
customer for the E190-E2. We have
worked very hard to make this a
success and are looking forward toABOVE Stein Nilsen (third left), John Slattery
(centre) and Carol Benzie, Managing Director,
Aberdeen International Airport (third right), join
the cabin crew ahead of the final leg of the E2's
delivery flight. KEY JAMES RONAYNE
TOP Senior Embraer and Widerøe executives
celebrate the handover of the first jet at São
José dos Campos. EMBRAER