Airlines Air Astana adds first E190-E2 to its fleet

The aircraft was ferried from Embraer´s facility in Brazil to the Air Astana Aircraft Technology Center in Nursultan Nazarbayev. There, the airline celebrated a welcoming ceremony. This delivery marks an important milestone for the airline, as it has ambitious plans for the future.

The first E190-E2 for the carrier is sporting a special snow leopard livery. The animal represents the country and most importantly puts the focus on snow leakage issues in the country and around the world.

Moreover, the livery will raise attention for environmental issues. Air Astana said, that it has donated a large amount of money to the Zoologist’s Association of Kazakhstan to keep the snow leopard in the country.

Air Astana has configured its E190-E2 aircraft with 108 seats. The state-of-the-art aircraft is capable of flying up to 5,300km and is being powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines. The airline is planning to use the aircraft on short and medium-haul routes. Low emissions and noise levels will help Air Astana to fly more profitable.

President of Air Astana Peter Foster said: "Our Company is pleased to receive the first E190-E2 aircraft, and we look forward to launching it quickly and piloting our pilots. We are well acquainted with the Embraer jet and look forward to the new generation planes in regard of economics, environmental impact and comfort of our passengers.”

John Slether, President of Embraer Commercial Aviation, added: "It is a great honour for us to fulfil the order of our old partners and deliver new generation aircraft. It is pleasant that our product contributes to the development of the airline. We consider our choice of airplanes a sign of confidence in our brand."

The new aircraft helps Air Astana to realize its ambitious goals. The carrier has stated that it plans to expand its route network over the next years. With the E190-E2, new destinations can be served in the most efficient way possible.

After Norwegian regional carrier Wideroe, Air Astana has become the second operator to fly with the E190-E2 jet.

Air Astana is the flag-carrier of Kazakhstan. It is based at Almaty and has another operational hub at Astana. The airline was initially founded in 2001 and commenced operations a year later. The current fleet consists of nine Airbus A320s, including one A320neo, seven A321s, including one A321neo, five Boeing 757-200s, three 767-300s, 10 Embraer 190s and one E190-E2.