South African private-sector airline Airlink and Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer jointly announced on Thursday that the carrier was leasing five of the manufacturer’s E-Jet family airliners. The aircraft, three E170s and two E190s, will be obtained from ECC Leasing, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Embraer. Deliveries will start during the first half of this year. The deal makes Airlink the first South African airline to operate E-Jets.

“This is the beginning of the implementation of a well planned growth and modernisation strategy for Airlink that includes replacing our current fleet of Avro RJ85s over the next three years,” explained airline CEO Rodger Foster. “The strategy calls for a total of 13 E-Jets, and we are in the process of sourcing the balance of the fleet requirement – an additional eight E190s – from the market.”

“The unique performance characteristics of the E-Jet family will enable Airlink to operate within the challenging environment of the region, including short field and ‘hot and high’ operations, while managing capacity and providing for growth,” he added. “The E190’s ETOPS (Extended Twin Engine Operations) capability and range present Airlink with new market opportunities to address isolated destinations that were previously beyond our reach and in some instances that have never enjoyed the privilege of reliable scheduled air services.”

The airline already operates Embraer aircraft, in the shape of the manufacturer’s smaller ERJ regional airliner family. In December, it was announced that Airlink was to acquire 11 more ERJs, all of the ERJ 140 model. By the end of this year, the airline will have 30 ERJs in service, comprising examples of all three members of the family – the ERJ 135, ERJ 140 and the ERJ 145.

“Welcoming another operator to the E-Jet family is always a great endorsement of our aircraft and the Embraer experience,” affirmed Embraer commercial aviation VP: Africa, Latin America and Portugal Simon Newitt. “We are very proud that Airlink will now become the first South African operator of the type.”

“Embraer has proven to be an excellent partner for Airlink on our ERJ fleet, and we look forward to the continuation of superb customer support as we enter a new chapter of growth with the E-Jets,” said Foster. The E170 can carry up to 78 passengers, while the E190 can take up to 114. The E170 has a range of up to 2 150 nautical miles (nm) and that of the E190 is up to 2 450 nm.