Azul Brazilian Airlines Signs LOI for Up to 50 E195-E2 Jets

FARNBOROUGH, United Kingdom, July 15, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Azul Brazilian Airlines announced today, at the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow, that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Embraer S.A. for 30 firm orders for the E195-E2 jets.

Besides the firm order, the LOI includes additional 20 purchase rights for the same model, bringing the total potential order to up to 50 E195-E2 jets. The contract for the E-Jets E2 has an estimated value of USD 3.1 billion, at list prices, if all purchase rights are converted to firm orders. As the first airline to order the E195-E2, Azul becomes the launch operator for this aircraft.

"Our partnership with Embraer has been fundamental to Azul's success from the very beginning. Since 2008 the E-Jets have enabled Azul's exponential growth, resulting in the creation of an entirely new market for domestic air travel. In addition, by selecting airplanes designed and developed in our home country, Azul significantly contributes to thousands of highly skilled jobs in Brazil", says David Neeleman, CEO. "The E2 will be the most advanced model in its category, allowing us to reduce operating costs, further increase capacity and deliver an even higher level of service to our Customers".

"With the E-Jets family as the backbone of its fleet, Azul has brought affordable air travel to an entirely new segment of the population in Brazil," said Paulo Cesar Silva, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. "With this order today, all of us at Embraer are proud to know that the Brazilian market will continue to be served long into the future with our latest products. We thank Azul for their commitment and partnership which has culminated in this very important milestone that we celebrate today."

Currently, Azul has a total of 82 E-Jets in service and another 11 on order. It operates the largest fleet of E195s in the world.

The first delivery of an E2 E-Jet (the E190-E2) is planned for the first half of 2018. The E195-E2 is slated to enter service in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020. The E2 E-Jet program reinforces Embraer's commitment to continuously invest in the company's line of commercial jets and to maintain leadership in the 70 to 130-seat aircraft segment. Embraer's E2 E-Jets have state-of-the-art geared turbofan engines. Combined with new aerodynamically-advanced wings, full fly-by-wire flight controls and improvements to other systems, the E2s will deliver significant reductions in fuel burn, maintenance costs, emissions and external noise.

Azul has previously announced that the airline would commence daily service between the US and Brazil by the first quarter of 2015.

About Azul

Azul, the third largest airline in Brazil, offers more than 870 daily flights to 104 destinations in the country. With a fleet of 141 aircraft and 10.000 crewmembers, the company currently has a 33% share of departures of the Brazilian aviation market. In 2014 Azul was elected for the fourth time in a row by Skytrax as the best low cost carrier in Latin America. The company was also recognized by FlightStats as the company with best on-time performance in Latin America and best low cost carrier in the world by CAPA in 2013. For more information visit www.voeazul.com.br

About Embraer

Embraer S.A. ERJ (BM&FBOVESPA:EMBR3) is the world's largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 130 seats, and one of Brazil's leading exporters. Embraer's headquarters are located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, China, France, Portugal, Singapore, and the U.S. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft and systems for the commercial aviation, executive aviation, and defense and security segments. It also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide. For more information, please visit www.embraer.com.br. Follow us on Twitter: @EmbraerSA