Alaska Airlines Commits to Embraer E175 

Airline orders 30 mid-sized jets for regional division Horizon Air.

The regional division of Alaska Airlines will soon receive an influx of Embraer E175 aircraft after a commitment to add 30 to their fleet. In a press release, the airline announced the new aircraft will be added to service under the Horizon Air brand.

In a deal valued at $2.8 billion, the airline will purchase 30 E175 aircraft, with an option to add 33 additional commercial jets to the contract. Alaska announced they chose the mid-size jet to service “long, thin routes,” defined as those too far to be served by turboprop aircraft, but with not enough demand for a full-size commercial aircraft. The jets will partially replace some of the airline’s Bombardier Q400 turboprop fleet, as 15 of the leased aircraft are due for return by 2018.

“The E175s position Horizon for growth beyond our current West Coast destinations while providing better customer utility in the growing Alaska Airlines network,” David Campbell, president of Horizon Air, said in the press release. “This aircraft opens up tremendous new opportunities to fly to new places that would not have been feasible with our existing aircraft.”

The new aircraft will be configured in what the airline is calling a three-class configuration, offering 12 first-class seats, 16 premium seats and 48 economy seats. The first aircraft will arrive in 2017, with the remaining aircraft set for delivery over the next three years.

The purchase marks the second major acquisition for the regional airline. In April 2016, the airline agreed to purchase Virgin America for a $2.6 billion – just under the value of their recently acquired aircraft.

[Photo: Alaska Airlines]