São José dos Campos, Brazil – September 2025 — Embraer’s latest generation E-Jets, the E190-E2 and E195-E2, have received Type Acceptance Certification from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), marking another important milestone for the programme and reinforcing the E2’s suitability for Africa’s aviation market.
“This certification opens new opportunities for the aircraft, which has already attained significant success across the world,” said Stephan Hannemann, SVP for Africa and Middle East, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Passengers can now look forward to experiencing the E2’s class-leading comfort very soon.”
The E2 family allows airlines to match capacity with demand, increase frequencies, and build operational flexibility. They are the most fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft in service today, with the E190-E2 delivering 17.3% better fuel efficiency per seat and the E195-E2 achieving a 29% improvement compared to the previous generation.
The announcement follows a major fleet expansion by Airlink, South Africa’s largest private airline, which recently finalised a lease agreement with Azorra for 10 new Embraer E195-E2s. Deliveries will begin later this year, with the full fleet arriving by 2027. Configured in Embraer’s two-by-two layout, the aircraft will seat up to 136 passengers and support Airlink’s growth across high-density and emerging routes in sub-Saharan Africa.
“With Embraer firmly established as the market leader in the up to 150 seat segment in Africa, this region is a key focus for us,” said Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation. “As a long-standing Embraer customer, it’s great that Airlink will soon be South Africa’s first E2 operator. This aircraft is the most efficient single-aisle jet and is perfectly suited to support Airlink’s ambitious growth plans across Southern Africa.”
Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht added: “South Africa’s type acceptance of the latest generation Embraer E195-E2 and its Pratt & Whitney engines by the SACAA are important milestones as we prepare to receive and take them into service. The E2’s additional capacity and range will let Airlink respond to increased demand on some of our most popular routes and extend our destination network so that we can provide convenient connections for customers in new markets.”
The certification process was supported by Pratt & Whitney, as its PW1900G engines powering the E2 were certified in South Africa in parallel.
With SACAA approval secured, the Embraer E2 family is set to play a pivotal role in advancing air connectivity across South Africa and the wider African region.
SOURCE AND IMAGE: EMBRAER
