Embraer's (Embraer) first passenger-to-freighter E190 aircraft (E190F) successfully completed its maiden flight in São José dos Campos, Brazil. Embraer's team flew the E-Freighter for about two hours to conduct a thorough assessment of the aircraft, which will continue to be tested before it enters service. The aircraft belongs to a leasing company in the United States, Regional One.
Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO of Embraer, said: "The E-Series freighter program brings new business opportunities to Embraer, meeting the growing demand for cargo transportation in the global e-commerce sector and delivering unparalleled operational performance to the high-tech E-Series aircraft. We are pleased with the rapid progress made by the E190F and E195F during testing. The E-Series freighter will be our customers' tool to meet their needs for flexible and fast delivery and decentralized operation." ”
The maiden flight was part of a series of assessments conducted by Embraer prior to the launch of the ESeries freighter. The aircraft has successfully completed the cabin ground pressurization and cargo loading tests.
Embraer's E-Series freighters offer three times the range of large turboprop freighters, with more than 50 percent more cargo volume, and 30 percent less operating costs than narrow-body jet freighters. The E190F and E195F have a payload of 13.5 tonnes and 14.3 tonnes respectively.
In 2022, Embraer announced the official launch of the E190F and E195F passenger-to-freighter conversion program (P2F). The project involved more than 40 suppliers and more than 600 employees across the global network, who invested more than 500,000 hours on the E-Series freighter project.