Mandarin Airlines selects Embraer 190 and 195 E-Jets

Mandarin Airlines has chosen the Embraer 190 and Embraer 195 E-Jets as the core aircraft for its future fleet requirements. The airline has elected to initially acquire a fleet of eight aircraft under operating leases and has signed a contract with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) to lease three Embraer 190s and five Embraer 195 aircraft. These orders will come from the existing GECAS backlog.

Both E-Jet types will be configured in a single class configuration consisting of 104 seats at 31-inch (79 cm) pitch for the Embraer 190 and 116 seats at similar pitch for the Embraer 195s. Deliveries of these new aircraft are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2007. In addition to replacing their existing fleet of Fokker 100s and Fokker 50s on domestic routes, the Taipei-based carrier will use the new generation E-Jets to develop short-haul intra-regional markets throughout Asia.

“The selection of the right fleet is vitally important to the successful management of an airline. With this in mind, members of Mandarin Airlines’ fleet project team have spent one and a half years assessing many different aircraft types, considering the strategic position of the company in a very competitive environment, the demand of the future market, the performance of the aircraft, as well as the maintenance and training support offered by the manufacturers, etc,” said Michael Lo, Chairman of Mandarin Airlines. “We finally made our decision to choose the Embraer 190/195 as the main component of our future fleet. We are pleased and feel proud to be the first carrier to use these technically advanced aircraft in this region. We believe that these aircraft, with their high-tech design and customer-comfort oriented cabin configuration, will surely enhance flight safety levels and customer satisfaction, and lead to the outstanding performance and successful operation of Mandarin Airlines.”

In conjunction with this transaction, Embraer will significantly expand its product support network in Asia Pacific by establishing a spare parts logistics center and placing a full flight simulator in the region. “We are in the final stages of selecting locations for this infrastructure which is targeted at enhancing our support for Mandarin and the existing EJets customer base in the region. These facilities will be operational before the start of the second half of 2007,” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Executive Vice-President, Airline Market, Embraer.

Based in Taipei, Mandarin Airlines was established in 1991 for the purposes of operating international flights. Following a merger with Formosa Airlines in 1999, the airline significantly expanded its domestic presence in Taiwan. Today, Mandarin is a subsidiary of China Airlines and is poised to embark upon further expansion opportunities on intraregional routes. Mandarin currently operates 65 departures per day to 19 destinations throughout Taiwan and the region. The distinctive logo of Mandarin Airlines is a Golden eagle named Hai Tung Ching which is a character taken from an old Chinese legend symbolizing the spirit of a strong commitment.

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