South Africa operator Airlink is to lease 10 new Embraer E195 E2s, under an agreement with Florida-based lessor Azorra that will be finalised soon.
When finalised, Airlink – an existing Embraer operator – will become the second E2 customer in Africa, after Nigeria’s Air Peace.
The first of 10 E195 E2s will be delivered to the airline by October this year, with a further two jets delivered by the end of the year, Azorra confirms.
The remaining seven aircraft will be delivered through 2027. The new E2s will seat between 124 and 136 passengers.
Airlink has a fleet of more than 70 aircraft, most of them Embraer aircraft including the E-Jet family and the ERJ-135 and ERJ-140. The airline operates the aircraft to 45 points in its network, including to the South Atlantic and Madagascar.
Embraer also touts the “additional savings” from operating, maintenance and training commonality between the E2s and E-Jets.
The 10 E2 jets are understood to have been originally meant for now-defunct Malaysian operator SKS Airways. The carrier in 2024 suspended taking delivery of them as it was unable to secure slots at Kuala Lumpur’s Subang international airport, where it had originally intended to base them.
The Airlink deal was announced at an Embraer press briefing on 18 June at the Paris air show, where the Brazilian airframer also announced a raft of deals, including a 60-aircraft order for E175s from US regional operator SkyWest.
Embraer Commercial Aviation chief Arjan Meijer says: “The E2 continues to prove its value for airlines worldwide and this latest development highlights Embraer’s growing presence in Africa.”
