Oman Air Unveils EMBRAER 175 in a Special Ceremony at the
Muscat International Airport
Date: 12 Apr 2011
- Change is in the air
- The new aircrafts to fly to the regional destinations of Oman Air
- 71 seats, in a dual-class layout, with 11 seats in business class and 60 in economy class
- Combines best of Inflight Entertainment and comfort
Oman Air unveiled the new member to its fleet, the EMBRAER 175 at a ceremony organised at the Muscat International Airport where invited journalists, trade partners and special guests got a chance to see the interiors of the brand new aircraft. Oman Air is now the proud owner of two Embraer E jets, which will be deployed to the regional routes that Oman Air flies to. The deal was originally announced in November 2009 and includes firm orders for five EMBRAER 175s, plus options for another five aircrafts.
“The E-Jets are the ideal platform from which we can expand our regional route network and better align frequency with demand”, said Salim Mohammed Al Kindi, Chief Technical Officer and the Acting CEO of Oman Air. “Having this flexibility allows us to introduce more point to point routes currently not sustainable with larger aircraft, as well as upgrading our services to domestic destinations like Khasab and the other new airports currently being developed within the Sultanate of Oman.”
With passenger demand for regional travel on the increase, the pressure is on for regional jets to carry more passengers more frequently to closer destinations. Clearly, passenger demand is trending toward the 70 to 110 seat segment, a range for which an efficient aircraft family didn’t exist until now. This is the gap that Oman Air is now filling with the brand new Embraer E 175s.
Embraer S.A. is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of Brazil’s leading exporters. Embraer’s headquarters are located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, China, France, Portugal, Singapore, and the United States. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the commercial aviation, executive aviation, and defence segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide.
“We are convinced that the E-jets will bring positive value for Oman Air on its regional network,” said Paulo César de Souza e Silva, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market. “Defining itself as a ‘boutique airline’ in the Gulf area, Oman Air will be offering its customers optimum comfort with the EMBRAER 175.”
“At Embraer, we continually analyze the industry’s performance and interpret trends to understand the future need for aircraft, the markets in which they are deployed, and the economic motivations that drive passenger demand. Today’s shifting market dynamics led us to the principle of fleet capacity optimization and The Rule of 70 to 110. Applied
correctly, The Rule helps airlines achieve operating efficiency without compromising performance or passenger comfort. The EMBRAER 170, 175, 190, and 195 are a new-evolution family of aircraft, each engineered from the ground up to be comfortable, efficient, and cost-effective. From the earliest planning stages, our engineers understood the need for a new platform, an airframe created specifically for the 70 to 110 seat segment. The result incorporates new technology on the flight deck and proven design elements in the cabin, making the new airframe both pilot and passenger friendly.” Said Souza e Silva Inside
Oman Air’s EMBRAER 175 will be configured with 71 seats, in a dual-class layout, with 11 seats in business class and 60 in economy.
Oman Air also signed the Embraer Pool Flight Hour Program service contract. The agreement covers the new EMBRAER 175 jet. Embraer’s Pool program quickly provides replacement parts and eliminates the need for inventory investments, via an agreement in which the customer invests a certain amount, based on the number of flight hours of the aircraft enrolled in the program, against the support needed at any point in time. Embraer assumes the responsibility for maintaining a parts inventory at its distribution and service centres, in order to provide parts to operators as soon as they are requested.
Embraer’s E-Jets family comprises four aircraft, seating from 70 to 122 passengers, which began deliveries in 2004. E-Jets have achieved outstanding success, with nearly 950 firm orders logged and more than 700 aircraft already delivered, worldwide, with nearly 50 in the Middle East. This proven family is helping airlines to rightsize low load factor narrow-body routes, by substituting 50-seat regional jets and replacing older, inefficient airplanes. They are operated to develop new markets with lower costs and higher efficiency.