Embraer's board approves halting development of its smallest E2 jet for 3 years

Plane's commercial introduction has been postponed repeatedly because of an unusual weight problem

Embraer is considering sometime in 2027-2028 for entry into service for the E175-E2 jetliner. Photo: Reuters

Embraer's board approved a pause in development of the slow-selling E175-E2 jetliner for another three years, again delaying the aircraft’s market debut.

The Brazilian plane maker plans to resume work following the hiatus, targeting entry into service between 2027 and 2028, Embraer said on Friday.

The 80-seat aircraft is the smallest of a three-jet family manufactured by Embraer that target airline routes that cannot support a medium-size jet like Boeing’s 737 Max or Airbus' A320neo.

The E175-E2 was scheduled for its debut last year, but its commercial introduction has been postponed repeatedly because of a weight problem.

The jet was designed to replace an earlier Embraer model that is a workhorse for regional carriers that feed traffic to Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Group and United Airlines Holdings.

But sales of the E2 model never took off because of a technicality in contracts for pilots at the larger US airlines.

Its bigger, more efficient Pratt & Whitney engines pushed the plane model’s maximum take-off weight above the contractual limit for jets flown by airline subcontractors – and union leaders have refused to budge on a so-called scope clause.