Congo Airways is on the hunt for new aircraft. With its current fleet comprised of Airbus A320 and Dash 8 turboprop, reports have it that the state-owned carrier may be on the verge of canceling its Embraer E2 order preferring the Airbus A220 aircraft.
According to Newsaero, the Congolese carrier is evaluating its options, having placed an order for four new-generation aircraft (E2) from Embraer.
One of them, an E190-E2 has been ready at the Embraer factory for months but has not yet been delivered.
This aircraft should have been delivered in December last year, but its receipt for a future date has not yet been announced.
Moreover, the carrier in March returned two ERJ 190-100ARs to Kenya Airways following the end of a six-month contract, forged in April last year. The two airlines “mutually agreed” that they will not extend the contract.
Airbus A220 vs Embraer E2
While both aircraft families are targeting a relatively underserved 100-150 seat market, both have notable differences.
The Airbus A220 jet family currently comprises two variants, the A220-100 and the A220-300.
Both A220 variants are larger and have a higher range than their Brazilian rival’s Embraer E2 jets. However, both A220 and E2 jets can reach the speed of Mach 0.82 (1005 kilometers per hour).
The A220-100 is tailored to the 100-135 seat market, while the larger version A220-300 serves the 120-160 seat market. The A220-100 has a maximum range of 6,390 kilometers and the A220-300 has 6,297 kilometers.
In comparison, the Embraer E2 jet family currently comprises three variants, the E175-E2, the E190-E2, and the E195-E2.
The largest variant, the E195-E2, is capable of carrying a maximum of 146 passengers and has a maximum range of 4,815 kilometers. However, the E190-E2, which has fewer seats than the newest E1955-E2, has a range of 5,278 kilometers.
