The agreement for 20 E190 and E195s was signed at the 54th Paris Air Show to establish conversion capacity in Lanzhou to support and accelerate their introduction in China.
By signing the letter, Lanzhou Group is the launch customer for Embraer’s P2F programme in China and is the Chinese base for the conversions.
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, says, “The opportunity in China had a significant influence during the decision-making process of the launch of our P2F programme. It is a market with increasing demand for cargo aircraft to accommodate the tremendous growth of E-commerce trade and the consequent evolution of the logistics industry. We’re confident in this booming market and always willing to support the sector’s further progress in cooperation with our Chinese partners.”
Chen Zhiqiang, President of Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group, adds, “By cooperating with industry-leading aircraft manufacturer, Embraer and introducing E-Jets freighters to China, we’ll fully leverage our domestic strength and competitive advantages to boost China’s air cargo market growth. We expect that the project, after it comes to fruition, will also help achieve high-quality economic development in Lanzhou, Gansu, and western regions of China.”
The E190 and E195 P2F programme was launched in 2022 and Embraer forecasts 700 freighters of this size will be needed over 20 years, of which the Chinese market will need 240.
Embraer says its E-Jet P2Fs will have over 50% more volume capacity, 3 times the range of cargo turboprops and up to 30% lower operating costs than narrowbodies.
The E190F has a maximum payload of 13.1 tonnes or 10.7 tonnes for typical e-commerce density. The E195F has a maximum payload of 14.3 tonnes or 12.3 tonnes for e-commerce.