By Raul Villaron, Asia Pacific Vice President, Commercial Aviation at Embraer

Embraer has been vocal and active on sustainability and environment for many years. In fact, the first aircraft in the world certified to fly with 100 per cent biofuel was the Ipanema in 2004. Looking ahead, we believe that sustainability will be a stronger driving force within aviation industry post-COVID.

We see three factors that have increasingly made sustainability a key priority. First, governments are more involved in the decision-making of airlines especially those that accepted the state support ‘lifeline’ during these testing times. Second, companies themselves have been overtly demonstrating ESG credentials to offer a stronger competitive advantage in a market where liquidity is drying up. Third, public opinion has been vocal and insistent that companies demonstrate more environmental care in their production. The commercial aviation industry is responsible for about two to three per cent of global carbon emissions but the entire industry is tirelessly working towards improving its efforts – from airports, airlines and to aircraft manufacturers.

For Embraer, the path to heightened sustainability efforts began almost 20 years ago. In 2002, Embraer was the first aircraft manufacturer to receive the ISO 14001 certification in environmental management of our production and design processes. A significant step was the major efforts the Company took towards minimising the environmental footprint in production process with its ‘green hangars’. This means that we have the systems to ensure the reduction and control of all water consumption, electrical energy, non-hazardous waste and hazardous waste.

Since 2008, beyond its internal initiatives, Embraer joined hands with other players in the aviation industry to define and set achievable goals and workable timeframes for CO2 emission reduction and climate change research.

For more than a decade, we have been directly involved with the development and certification of the new generation of ecological sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and developing airplanes able to fly with these. In 2011, our E170 flew with camelina oil and in 2012 our E195 operated by Azul, flew successfully using a blend of sugarcane and traditional jet fuel.

The focus on sustainability is most recently reflected by the numerous enhancements that have been made to the new generation E-Jets E2, making it the industry’s most efficient single-aisle jet. The E-Jets E2 family is characterised by its low emissions, low noise footprint and leading-edge fuel savings. From the start of its design, the E2 was created with fuel efficiency in mind.

The E190-E2 and E195-E2 are operated by many airlines across the world and it is the cleanest and most environmentally friendly airplane in the skies today, with double digit CO2 emission reductions compared with ordinary narrow body jets in operation like the B737 and the A320.

Airlines like KLM and Helvetica, from Switzerland, and others that have green goals and stringent emission standards are deploying our E190-E2 and E195-E2, and it is popular among passengers too.

Passengers want to fly in airplanes that have lower costs, lower emissions, knowing they are not wasting resources. The idea of a “rightsized” airplane, one that matches capacity to demand and features lower emissions fits well with the notion of being environmentally friendly. The new and ultra-quiet E-Jet E2 with its two by two seating and smart interior presents a modern solution for regional connectivity.

Looking closer, what makes the E-Jets E2 so efficient? For one, the E2 wings are very elongated, featuring a long aspect ratio. It means that a very long and slender wing can generate lift more efficiently while also reducing drag and noise just like how an albatross is a more efficient bird compared to a pigeon with its short wings. The E2’s landing gear is fully enclosed when retracted, and the wing flaps and ailerons have seals to reduce the exposed gaps and tracks, thus reducing drag and noise.

The Pratt & Whitney GTF engines on the aircraft have a large fan driven by a reduction gear, that has the feature to adjust the best proportion of air inside and outside the engine core, otherwise known as the by-pass ratio. A higher bypass ratio means a larger mass of air is being moved quietly at slower speeds by the engine, as opposed to less air being moved faster as in older, ‘noisier’ jet engines. The E-Jets E2’s state-of-the-art fly-by-wire control system intelligently minimises fuel consumption by optimising the position of the horizontal stabilizer during flight, keeping the aerodynamic drag to a minimum.

The COVID crisis has been a catalyst for a reset for the industry, and it has heightened the importance of sustainability. Thanks to a determined focus on designing the most fuelefficient single-aisle jet, Embraer has created an E2 family of jets that is perfectly suited for airlines, passengers and the environment.