BA CityFlyer ?begins new era? with first E-Jet
British Airways CityFlyer has “begun a new era in its fleet development” by taking delivery of its first Embraer 170 in a ceremony at the manufacturer’s facility at Sao Jose dos Campos in Brazil.
Although the official handover was left until the evening, CityFlyer managing director, Peter Simpson, noted that at 10 a.m. local time (UTC –4), the airline started its fleet turnover from Avro RJs to Embraer 170s and 190s. The transition is scheduled to be completed by June 2010.
“We now have a 21st century aircraft providing us with a rare win–win–win situation,” remarked Simpson. “From the passenger perspective, it’s a better seating configuration – no middle seat and increased baggage space in the cabin. Plus there is increased comfort with a greater seat pitch.
“From the environmental point-of-view, the E-Jets will have 56% lower emissions than the Avro RJs they are replacing. And finally, for BA CityFlyer, our cost will be reduced significantly, on average by around 27%.”
Simpson added that the new fleet will also be able to fly increased distances from the airline’s home base of London City Airport. “There are a lot of routes on the drawing board,” he noted. “We operate nine at the moment and I see a genuine opportunity for another five routes for our business travellers.”
BA CityFlyer has around 22% of the slots at London City, behind its major competitor, the Air France–KLM group which has approximately 46%. “When it comes to the seats offered, we are closer, with about 33%,” Simpson commented.
The new E-170 is the first of a firm order of 11 E-Jets, six 170s and five 190s. The first 190 is due in March 2010. CityFlyer also has options on three more E-Jets and purchase rights for a further 15 aircraft.
“Choosing the mix was really a case of looking at individual markets and looking at the costs,” Simpson explained. “When it came to the choice of what we wanted to do with the fleet, there were four options – keeping the Avros, going for [Bombardier] Q400s or Airbus A318s, or the E-Jets. We eliminated the Avros and the A318 because of age and weight respectively. With the Q400, although it’s a fast turboprop, we would have needed an extra aircraft. Also, in qualitative research, there were quite a few negative responses against the turboprop up against a jet from our business customers. Plus there were some routes which we couldn’t have served because of range.”
The airline’s E-170s are being configured with 76 seats at 31 inch pitch at the front end of the cabin and 30 inch pitch towards the rear. The E-190s will have 98 seats at 33 inch pitch throughout the cabin.
The Avros leaving the fleet are all on lease. All the leases are due to end by the end of 2010, so some will be returned early. Some are leased through Trident, while others are on Japanese Operating Leases. “Ultimately they will all be handled by BAE Systems,” Simpson noted.
Bernie Baldwin, editor, Low-Fare & Regional Airlines/LARANews.net
Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil
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