Embraer · Regional Jet / Commercial Aviation · Brazil · Modern (1992–2009)
Open in interactive gallery →See aircraft like this on the live radar →The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of twin-engine, narrow-body 70- to 124-seat airliners designed and built by Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The line comprises the original E170, E175, E190 and E195 (the "E-Jets") and the later E175-E2, E190-E2 and E195-E2 (the "E2"). Outside mainland China, the E-Jet has become the dominant 70-130 seat jet platform worldwide, with over 1,800 airframes delivered to more than 80 operators across roughly 60 countries.
Embraer launched the programme in 1999 to challenge the Bombardier CRJ in the 70-120 seat segment. LOT Polish Airlines put the first E170 into service on 17 March 2004, and the rest of the family followed in quick succession: E175 in 2005, E190 in 2005 and E195 in 2006. All four share a common 4-abreast (2-2) fuselage cross-section, with progressively longer stretches yielding 78 seats (E170), 88 seats (E175), 114 seats (E190) and 124 seats (E195). First-generation jets were powered by General Electric CF34-8E turbofans on the E170/E175 and CF34-10E on the E190/E195.
Announced in 2013 and entering service in 2018, the E2 generation introduced Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofans (~16% better fuel burn than the CF34), redesigned wings with raked wingtips, slightly longer fuselages, aerodynamic refinements and a Honeywell Primus Epic 2 glass cockpit with fly-by-wire flight controls. The E175-E2, E190-E2 and E195-E2 form the current production lineup. Unusually, the original CF34-powered E175 also remains in production as the dominant 76-seat jet in North America — a quirk driven by U.S. airline scope clauses, which cap aircraft flown by mainline-affiliate carriers by maximum gross weight. Only the older E175 sits below the 86,000 lb scope-clause limit; the heavier E175-E2 does not.
Roughly 80 nations operate E-Jets, and the type is the principal small narrow-body across the U.S., Europe, China (limited), Brazil and Africa. Major operators include American Airlines (American Eagle E175 fleet around 280 airframes), United Airlines / United Express, Republic Airways, SkyWest, Air Canada Express, JetBlue Airways (E190 / E190-E2), Air France-KLM Cityhopper (E175 / E190 / E195-E2), KLM Cityhopper, LOT Polish Airlines, Helvetic Airways, Saudia and EgyptAir, alongside dozens of smaller carriers. Final assembly continues at São José dos Campos in Brazil. Embraer has built more than 1,800 E-Jets across both generations as of 2026 and is delivering 80-100 airframes per year, making the family the defining 70-130 seat jet of the 21st century and one of Brazil's standout industrial export successes.
The Embraer E-Jet family is Brazil's most-successful airliner. Embraer (a Brazilian company) builds small airliners that carry 70-130 passengers on short routes. Big airliners (like the 737 and A320) are too big for many small-airport routes. The E-Jet fits perfectly in between.
The E-Jet family has four sizes: E170 (smallest, 78 seats), E175 (88 seats), E190 (100 seats) and E195 (124 seats). The newer E2 versions (E175-E2, E190-E2, E195-E2) have better engines and are 17% more fuel-efficient.
About 1,700 E-Jets have been delivered since 2004. Major operators include American Airlines, Delta Connection (regional partner), United Express, JetBlue, KLM Cityhopper, Air Dolomiti, Azul (Brazil) and Saudia. The E-Jet flies routes that bigger airliners can't fill — small cities to small cities, or small cities to big hubs.
The E175 is the most-popular E-Jet — it fits perfectly within US "scope clauses" (rules that limit regional partner airlines to 76-seat airplanes). This makes the E175 the most-common feeder jet at U.S. airports. The E2 series competes with the Airbus A220 and the discontinued Bombardier CRJ-1000 in the 100-130 seat market.
A regional jet is a small airliner with 50-130 seats, designed for short flights between smaller cities. The first regional jets (the Bombardier CRJ-200 and Embraer ERJ-145) were tiny — only 50 seats. They opened up flying to smaller cities that bigger airliners couldn't profitably serve. Today's regional jets (E175, E190, A220) are bigger — 70-130 seats — and competitive with smaller mainline airliners. Many U.S. "regional" airlines (Republic Airways, SkyWest, Mesa) actually operate as branded contractors for big airlines (United Express, American Eagle, Delta Connection). The big airlines decide routes; the regional airlines fly them with smaller jets.
Embraer (founded 1969) used to be a small Brazilian company building light military and agricultural airplanes. In the 1990s, the Brazilian government opened up Embraer to global trade and invested heavily. Embraer focused on the regional-jet niche — a market Boeing and Airbus didn't compete in. By the 2000s, Embraer had become the world's leader in regional jets, beating Canada's Bombardier (CRJ). Today Embraer is one of only four big airliner manufacturers (along with Boeing, Airbus and China's Comac) — and the only one based outside Europe, Asia or North America.
Engines and aerodynamics. The original E-Jet family (E170 / E175 / E190 / E195) uses General Electric CF34 turbofans, while the E2 family (E175-E2 / E190-E2 / E195-E2) uses Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofans for around 16% better fuel economy. The E2 also has a redesigned wing with raked wingtips, an updated glass cockpit with fly-by-wire flight controls, slightly longer fuselages and quieter cabin acoustics. The E2 entered service between 2018 and 2019 and competes more directly with the A220 narrow-body family.
U.S. airline scope clauses. American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have collective-bargaining agreements with mainline-pilot unions that cap the seats and weight of aircraft flown by lower-paid feeder pilots. The original E175 (CF34-engined, 86,000 lb MTOW) sits just below the 86,000 lb scope-clause limit, while the heavier PW1900G-equipped E175-E2 does not. U.S. airlines therefore keep ordering the older E175 even though the E175-E2 is more efficient. Embraer has lobbied for scope-clause amendments without success.
The two were the principal competitors in the 70-100 seat narrow-body market. The E-Jet has a wider 4-abreast cabin compared with the CRJ's narrower 4-abreast layout, with larger overhead bins and better passenger comfort. The CRJ family (CRJ-200 / 700 / 900 / 1000) left production in 2020 when Bombardier sold the programme to Mitsubishi (rebranded as the Mitsubishi SpaceJet, which was never delivered). From 2010 onward, the E-Jet family won the small-jet wars decisively.
Over 1,800 across all family members and generations through end-2025. First-generation E-Jets account for around 1,650 and the E2 generation for around 370. Roughly 80 countries operate the type. Embraer is delivering 80-100 airframes per year, with production continuing at the São José dos Campos final-assembly line in Brazil.
Yes — the E2 family remains in production, and Embraer is studying clean-sheet successors (the rumoured E1-X / E2-X programmes). The company has also developed the C-390 Millennium twin-jet airlifter, which entered service in 2019, and its KC-390 military version. The proposed tie-up with Boeing through Embraer Commercial Aviation Services dissolved in 2020, leaving Embraer as an independent airliner manufacturer competing with Airbus and, in the 70-130 seat segment, the legacy Bombardier products.
Several factors converge. The original E175 sits below U.S. airline scope-clause weight limits, so it can be flown by feeder-airline pilots at much lower cost than mainline 737 / A320 service. Its 4-abreast cabin offers a better passenger experience than the CRJ-700 / 900, and seat-mile economics work well on the 300-700 mile routes typical of U.S. feeder flying. Republic Airways, SkyWest and Envoy Air have built large E175 fleets that operate under American Eagle, United Express and Delta Connection banners. The combination of pilot-cost economics and cabin advantages has made the E175 the default U.S. feeder jet of the 2010s and 2020s.