Nigerian regional airline Overland Airways is to acquire three new-build Embraer E175 small jetliners, the Brazil-based manufacturer reported on Monday. The order also includes options for three more of the type.

The contract is worth, calculated using list prices, $299.4-million. The aircraft will be delivered in the premium class cabin configuration (that is, economy-class seats with extra legroom), with a total of 88 seats. The new airliners will allow the carrier to increase the number of its domestic flights and expand into more regional routes.

“[W]e are proud of this partnership with Overland and to support their regional expansion,” affirmed Embraer Commercial Aviation VP: Europe, Middle East and Africa Cesar Pereira. “We are seeing growing long-term demand for rightsized aircraft to deliver profitable domestic connections in Nigeria.”

“[W]e are confident that this is the right moment to invest, as regional aviation is on an optimistic post-pandemic recovery,” assured Overland Airways president and CEO Captain Edward Boyo. “Our customers will really enjoy all comfort in the E175, and we appreciate our partnership with Embraer.”

The aircraft will be delivered to the airline starting in 2023. Embraer pointed out that the E175 had proven vital for many regional carriers during the Covid-19 pandemic, because the type was ideal for re-establishing networks, efficiently increasing capacity and adding frequencies as demand gradually recovered.

Overland Airways was legally founded in late 1998 and started flying operations in 2002, and is an International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit certified airline. It is based in Ikeja in Lagos state and operates from Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed Airport (which is located in Ikeja). In serves both domestic routes (to and from Abuja, Akure, Ibadan, Ilorin, and Jalingo) and three regional routes: Cotonou in Benin, Lome in Togo and Niamey in Niger. Its current fleet numbers nine aircraft, all turboprops (two Beechcraft B1900Ds, four ATR42-320s and three ATR72s).