Regional airline SkyWest Airlines has placed an order with Brazilian planemaker Embraer for the purchase of 19 E175 aircraft.
The new deliveries, set to begin arriving in the final months of 2024, will be used for operations on the United Airlines network.
At present, SkyWest already operates 90 E175 jets for United Airlines, and the newly acquired aircraft will represent a significant increase in the number of flights for the carrier.
The E175 aircraft will fly exclusively with United under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) which larger airlines use to outsource portions of their operations to other airlines.
Skywest will pay $1.1 billion for the new 70-seater aircraft, which will arrive in a three-class configuration.
“SkyWest is already the largest E175 operator in the world, and when this order is delivered, we will have over 250 E175s. We look forward to continuing to improve the passenger flying experience with enhanced comfort and reliability,” Chip Childs, President and CEO of SkyWest, said.
SkyWest Airlines also operates through partnerships with Delta Air Lines as Delta Connection, American Airlines as American Eagle and Alaska Airlines as Alaska SkyWest.
Martyn Holmes, CCO, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said: “We are pleased to build upon our superb partnership with SkyWest. The E175 is truly a versatile aircraft, the backbone of North American regional aviation.”
SkyWest’s fleet of almost 500 aircraft connects passengers to 249 destinations throughout North America, carrying over 40 million passengers a year.
