ALITALIA EXPRESS expands fleet with Brazilian EMBRAER 170 LR jets
Alitalia Express has strengthened its links with the Brazilian company,
Embraer, fourth largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft in the world.
The most recent acquisition is the Embraer 170 LR which is being presented
today (for the first time in Italy) with a demonstration flight from Romes
G.B.Pastine Ciampino airport via Sardinia.
Alitalia Groups regional airline which already operates eight Embraer 145s
with 48 seats is moving ahead with its fleet renewal programme, always aiming
to improve efficiency and provide better service for customers. The aircraft
chosen by Alitalia Express is a 72-seat twin-jet, with a wingspan of 26 metres
and weighing 20.7 tonnes. The fuel capacity is 9,470 litres, giving a range
of 3,611 kilometres under full payload. Cruising speed is 870 kph.
One of the strong points of the Embraer 170 LR is the high level of
cabin comfort there is ample space at shoulder level and good leg
room for passengers. To make the cabin even more comfortable, there
are no middle seats in the rows.
These new aircraft will be used on the Alitalia Express network alongside
the present planes in the Companys fleet for domestic and international
routes, with special attention to routes where they are more convenient,
either because of the long distances involved, or because of the type of
demand (mainly business traffic).
Delivery of the first six Embraer 170 LRs is planned for June 2003,
while another six planes are under option for 2004. The first six aircraft
will be named after the Roman consular roads (Via Appia, Via Cassia,
Via Aurelia, Via Emilia, Via Flaminia and Via Salaria); the following six
will carry the names of the capitals of the six founder member states of
the European Union (Rome, Bonn, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Luxemburg).
Collaboration with Embraer is going to develop further, also in the area
of maintenance. The two companies are looking into the possibility of setting
up a European centre in Italy, for the maintenance of all the aircraft
in the Embraer family.
The purchase of these Embraer 170 LRs said Massimo Chieli, managing director of Alitalia Express forms part of wide-ranging project for renewing and strengthening our fleet, which will grow from 17 to 38 aircraft in two years, equivalent to an increase of 123% by the year 2004. In the two-year period 2002/2003, six Embraer 145 LRs will join the fleet, along with three 66-seat ATR 72s.
