Airnorth - Second Embraer 170 Delivered
Colleague from Airnorth tells me that their second ERJ170 arrived tonight from the Cocos Islands. Its the first AR version, and has a higher MTOW/MLW than the LR version. It would appear AN are quietly on the move. The following press release was in Australian Aviation this week.
* AIRNORTH TAKES SECOND E-JET, TWO MORE TO COME? Airnorth took delivery of its second Embraer E-170 on April 8 at Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, and has announced that it intends to further expand its fleet.
The 76 seat E-170AR is on lease from Miami based lessor Jetscape Inc, and will allow the airline to fly from Darwin to every Australian capital city with a full load. Airnorth has previously said that it intends to use the aircraft on international charter services to and from Darwin into Asia, with the aircraft capable of nonstop flights to destinations including Manila and Kuala Lumpur.
The airline's CEO Michael Bridge noted that since it introduced its first E-170 in August 2007 that it has gained a strong acceptance among its customers, particularly among its contract charter customers. As a result, the airline's board has made it its intention to operate four E-170s by mid-2010, according to a press release from Embraer.
Airnorth also has a fleet of EMB-120 and Fairchild Metroliner turboprops, and serves a mix of RPT services across the Northern Territory as well as long term contract charters supporting the mining and petroleum industries. The airline is also currently the only carrier offering flights between Australia and Dili in East Timor.
Four aircraft would require at least 18 crew, which means more jobs available. Will now sit back and wait for the negative knockers to come out of the wood work