Aircraft manufacturer Embraer is increasing its footprint on the African continent with its latest technology of planes that are economical, eco-friendly, and with advanced technology.

At the recently-concluded 6th Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition that attracted over 100 companies in the aviation industry, Embraer debuted their latest E195-E2, their largest commercial aircraft that is so far the quietest and most efficient single-aisle plane.

Embraer has been operating in Africa for over 40 years and so far is one of the largest commercial aircraft manufacturers that have also built a great presence on the continent with over 250 aircraft operating in Africa. To date, Embraer is the number one supplier of aircraft below 150 seats.

In an interview with The New Times on the sidelines of the Aviation summit in Kigali, the Chief Commercial Officer of Embraer, Martyn Holmes, detailed the specifications and specialty of the plane and referred to it as a game changer in the aviation industry.

"If you look at the African propensity to travel, over 97 per cent of flights have less than 150 passengers on board. Connectivity goes hand-in-hand with GDP growth and if you improve connectivity by about 10 per cent, you will develop GDP by 0.5 per cent so we see our role in Africa as this important,” said Holmes.

Studies on aviation and growth indicate that over 280 aircraft will be delivered into Africa over the next 20 years for jets below 150 seats

"We are very excited about the opportunity here in Africa because we are the number one supplier of aircraft below 150 seats, it’s what we do. We have the Next Generation E2 like the one we put on display at Kigali International Airport. Currently, Nigeria’s Air Peace operates those with five aircraft. We are very excited about what E2 can offer,” Holmes said.

In February this year, Embraer’s E190-E2 which is dubbed the ‘Tech Shark’ flew to Kamembe Airport as part of their Africa demo tour. The flight part intended to test if the plane could land on Kamembe airfield which is 1,453m long, 5,192ft high, and surrounded by mountains. The test ended successfully.

"We also have the 195 E2 which is slightly a bigger brother that goes up to 146 seats in a single class and the one we displayed at Kigali International Airport has 124 seats. These aircraft are the latest generation of technology that the world has to offer. They have high bypass ratio engines,” said Holmes as he described the types of planes they have.

He added that all the 195 or the 175 E2 wings are optimized for those aircraft which means high efficiency and if combined with generation fly-by-wire which means you could optimize the control services, and improve efficiency

"What you get when you wrap all that up is 195- E2 gives you a 25 per cent fuel burn improvement per seat. That’s a massive economical saving which is good for the balance and good for the environment. Combine that with the enhanced customer experience like wider aisles.

Because of that duel burn improvement, there is a combination of the Next Generation engines. Per trip you’re seeing greater than 17 per cent to 18 per cent fuel burn improvement for the 195 E2 which goes up to 146 seats, you will see up to 25 per cent fuel burning improvement combine that with the low noise as the quietest aircraft certified out there flying in on segment inside and externally and then you got the huge field and savings,” he said.

Embraer refers to their new Tech Shark as a plane with a 20 per cent lower trip cost that offers Africa an opportunity to optimize the fleet economically and for the environment.