LONDON – With the Farnborough Air Show 2022 starting in less than a week, let’s begin our preview ahead of the event. Next, we take a look at Embraer and how they need more success on the E2 program.

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E2 Main Thrust of Farnborough Sales Campaign…

Embraer will be sending their E195-E2 Tech Lion to the airshow, as a way of spreading awareness about the E2 program on a widened berth.

In 2018, the airline announced more orders for the E1 program than it did for the E2, which did come across as confusing at the time at Farnborough.

According to data from Embraer’s order book, there are only 169 E2 aircraft in the backlog, which is a relatively low number given the size of the regional airliner market.

Only 52 of the 221 aircraft that have been ordered have been delivered, with the manufacturer only delivering two this year so far, which is far lower than the 21 delivered last year.

This hesitancy in delivering is to keep the backlog strong, which is why they need to secure more orders for E2 aircraft moving forward.

Is The E1 Program Too Strong?

The order from SkyWest Airlines in 2018 did convey the view that the E1 program is far more attractive for the airliner world than the E2 program is.

There are still around 150 E1 aircraft that are still due to be delivered, as per Embraer’s orderbook from December 2021. Embraer has delivered over 1,600 E1 aircraft, which of course shows its popularity.

The criticism of this is that the E1 program has been around since its first flight in 2002, whereas the E2 program hasn’t been around that long.

But either way, it does convey the view that the E1 program is still quite strong, and we could potentially see the same as what we saw in 2018 if Embraer isn’t careful.

Airbus’ A220s Causing Problems for Embraer?

Airbus taking hold of the C-Series from Bombardier (Now called the A220), definitely caused a major issue for Embraer when it comes to aircraft sales.

It’s expected that Airbus will make some sales with the A220 at the air show, which could result in a distraction away from the E2 program.

This means that whatever Embraer has planned, it needs to attack the A220 program head-on, otherwise a lot of market share will be lost unnecessarily.

But given the backing that Airbus has placed into the A220, it wouldn’t be surprising if Embraer didn’t announce heavy numbers of orders. Then again, this is what airshows are all about, the element of surprise.

Overall…

It remains clear that the E2 program needs to be the main thrust of Embraer’s sales program at Farnborough. If they can’t secure more orders to the backlog, then that will be a cause for concern.

Then again, despite the large order from SkyWest in 2018, it does show that Embraer is capable of producing large deals like this, and it can’t come soon enough for the E2.

Either way, Embraer will be another manufacturer to look out for at Farnborough, to see whether they have anything up their sleeve to take on Airbus with the A220.

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