Airlines SkyWest orders 16 Embraer E175 for Delta operations

Embraer and SkyWest Airlines have signed a purchase agreement for 16 E175 regional jets, which are set to be delivered from mid-2022 onwards. SkyWest will operate the aircraft for major U.S.-Airline Delta under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA). According to current list prices, the deal is valued at approximately USD 800 million.

Delta is using the E175 mainly on regional routes within the United States. SkyWest Airlines already operates with a fleet of nearly 200 Embraer E175 aircraft and this latest order confirms the satisfaction all airline parties have with the aircraft, both Delta and SkyWest.

President and CEO of SkyWest, Chip Childs, confirmed: “SkyWest operates more E175s than any other carrier in the world. With these aircraft, we will have nearly 240 E175s operating with airlines in North America. This month we are proud to reach two million flight hours in the E175. Our customers love the E175, and we have great confidence in and appreciate our partnership with Embraer.”

Mark Neely, VP Sales and Marketing, The Americas, Embraer Commercial Aviation, added: “Our superb partnership with SkyWest continues with this new provision for Delta. The E175 is the backbone of the North American regional market, and as the industry begins to emerge from the pandemic, we are seeing growing long-term demand for rightsized aircraft to deliver profitable domestic connectivity. The E175 has been a lifeline for carriers as they are perfectly suited to rebuild routes, add frequencies, and add incremental capacity to meet rebounding domestic demand.”

 The Embraer E-Jet family has been a popular choice among North American carriers that are operating on regional networks. Just recently, Canadian airline Porter ordered up to 80 Embraer E195-E2s, becoming the launch customer for the aircraft on the continent.

SkyWest Airlines is a regional airline with headquarters in St. George, Utah. The carrier was founded nearly 50 years ago in 1972 and has a fleet of over 570 aircraft. Most of them are operated by large carriers like United Express, American Eagle, Alaska Airlines or Delta Connection.

Currently, SkyWest owns and operates 210 Bombardier CRJ-200s, 124 CRJ-700s, 44 CRJ-900s and 193 Embraer ERJ-175s. The airline serves over 230 destinations throughout the states and employs over 14,000 people.