The Embraer E190-E2 last week set a new non-stop flight record. By flying non-stop from Brazil to Switzerland, it surpassed all other jets within the Embraer E-Jet series. In Switzerland, Embraer’s 1600th E190 was delivered to Helvetic Airways.
The brand new aircraft flew from the Embraer factory to Natal, a city in the far northeast of Brazil. From there, the plane flew nonstop to Zurich, the home of Helvetic. Between Natal and Zurich, a distance of 7,488 kilometers was covered in 9 hours and 10 minutes.
Helvetic Airways is currently transitioning from a fleet of first-generation E-Jets to E2s. The Swiss carrier received its first E190-E2 in October 2019 and has added four more since as part of its fleet renewal program. Helvetic flies the airplanes in a 110-seat single-class configuration on domestic and international routes. The carrier has firm orders for 12 E190-E2s and purchase rights for a further 12 E190-E2s with conversion rights to the E195-E2, bringing the total potential order to 24 E2 aircraft.
The E190-E2 is the latest and third aircraft within Embraer’s E-Jet series. The jet is more economical and can therefore fly a lot further than their predecessors. Compared to the first generation, the E2 consumes 17.3% less fuel.