Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Embraer SA (ERJ) Gets Porter Airlines' Order of E195-E2 Jets

Read MoreHide Full Article

Embraer SA (ERJ - Free Report) wins order for 30 E195-E2 jets and an option for another 50 from Porter Airlines of worth $5.82 billion based on current list prices. The longer range of E195-E2 jets will give Porter the right to introduce nonstop services in the markets where there is no current direct service or even increase frequencies on high-demand routes.

With this deal, Porter becomes Embraer's first North American customer for the E2 line. The jets are expected to go in service in the second half of 2022.

Company’s Order Status

Embraer continues to witness strong market demand for its E-jets across the globe. The E2 is the second generation of the E-jets family of commercial aircraft. As of Mar 31, 2021, Embraer’s E-Jets E2 had 175 orders in backlog while 86 aircraft were already delivered to customers worldwide.

To further expand its commercial aircraft business, the company is investing significantly. During the first quarter, it invested a total of $24.5 million in product development, principally related to the development of the E-Jets E2 commercial jet program. Such investments are expected to boost the sale of Embraer’s E-jets to airlines as demand for air travel is witnessing some improvement.

Aviation Industry Trend

The year 2020 and the first few months of 2021 negatively impacted the aviation industry due to lockdowns and restrictions imposed on travel. Per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 2020 saw a 60% decline in international passenger traffic from the 2003 levels. The metric is not expected to return to the 2019 levels until 2024.

Much to one’s relief, there is relaxation in COVID-related restrictions with the rollout of vaccines. This reflects a ray of hope for the travel industry. Per IATA, in the ongoing year, global passenger record is likely to recover to 52% of the pre-COVID levels.

Although the pandemic has its share of negatives, it opened various opportunities for the airline operators. The companies were looking to acquire planes before COVID-19 had struck but unfavorable rates did not permit them. The crisis situation helped buying planes at reduced prices, thereby expanding businesses.

This June, United Airlines Holdings (UAL - Free Report) announced the largest aircraft order in its history as the carrier ramps up its operations to cater to the uptick in air-travel demand. The airline decided to purchase 200 737 MAX from The Boeing Company (BA - Free Report) and 70 A321neo jets from Airbus Group (EADSY - Free Report) while replacing the older, smaller mainline and regional jets with larger aircraft.

Zacks Rank & Price Performance

Shares of this currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have rallied 32.8%, outperforming the industry's growth of 2.2% in the past three months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Three Months Price Performance
 

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Published in