25 May 2023
Malaysia’s SKS Airways has chosen the Embraer E195-E2 to drive its growth plans for the region.
The deal for 10 E195-E2s via aircraft leasing company Azorra was announced at a signing ceremony at the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’23).
The E195-E2s will form the core of SKS Airways’ expansion plans and will be based at Kuala Lumpur’s city airport, Subang, from 2024.
Subang is currently underused. It used to be the Malaysian capital’s primary airport until Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was opened in 1998.
Subang currently accommodates domestic flights from SKS Airways, Batik Air Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines’ Firefly and Berjaya Air.
The only international service from Subang at the moment is Firefly’s route to Singapore’s Seletar Airport.
The E195-E2 jet just ordered by SKS Airways has a range of 2,600nm, the equivalent of about seven hours of flight. The aircraft will be comfortably configured with 136 seats.
SKS Airways will be the first E195-E2 operator in the Southeast Asian region, growing Embraer’s E-Jets presence in the broader Asia Pacific region which currently stands close to 200.
Singapore Airlines’ Scoot will induct nine slightly lower-capacity E190-E2s, also via lessor Azorra, later in 2024.
Dato’ Rohman Ahmad, director of SKS Airways, said: “This is a significant day for the future of aviation in Malaysia. We are delighted to announce the successful signing of these agreements with leading industry players like Embraer and Azorra who share our vision for the future of air travel. With these strategic partnerships, we are excited to embark on a new phase of growth, with a fleet of Embraer’s Jets operating out of Subang.
The prevalence of the E-Jets at city airports around the world and the low noise emissions of the E195-E2 makes the aircraft a perfect fit for flights in and out of Subang Airport – supporting the Government’s aim to establish Subang Airport as Malaysia’s premium city airport and aviation hub.”
In February 2023, the Malaysian government announced the Subang Airport Regeneration Plan (SARP), a transformational plan for Subang Airport to be developed into a premium city airport and regional aviation hub.
Airlines have deployed Embraer’s E-Jets on routes to and from city airports around the world such as London City Airport, New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont Airport.
The E-Jets represent 86 per cent of total flights operating in London City Airport. Airlines operating E-Jets into and out of London City Airport include British Airways, Helvetic Airways (operating for SWISS) and KLM.
Embraer is a global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil.
SKS Airways was founded in November 2017 and it launched its first commercial flight from Subang Airport in January 2022.
Source: www.businesstraveller.com
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