ANA Expands E190-E2 Order as South Korea Eyes Co-Development
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Sao Paulo, 29 July 2026–Embraer’s growing commercial presence in East Asia received a significant boost this week, as Japan’s ANA Holdings decided to order eight additional E190-E2 regional jets, expanding its total firm commitment for the type to 23 aircraft.
Japan: fleet renewal and flexible capacity
The new order, approved by the airline’s board on 29 July, builds on ANA’s earlier 2025 commitment of fifteen firm orders plus five options, which was first announced in February 2025 and firmed up at that year’s Paris Air Show.
The additional aircraft are valued at roughly 105 billion yen (about 642 million dollars), with deliveries expected between fiscal year 2029 and 2032. The first jets from the original order arrive from 2028 and will be the first E2-generation aircraft to operate in Japan.
With the fuel-efficient, 100-seat E190-E2, Japan’s largest airline group aims to modernize its domestic fleet and respond flexibly to demand on regional routes.
Notably, the eight additional aircraft will be flown by codeshare partner IBEX Airlines under ANA flight numbers — an arrangement resembling ACMI-style outsourcing of domestic operations — while the two carriers upgrade their cooperation into a comprehensive business partnership.
The choice of the quiet, lower-emission type reflects ANA’s strategy of balancing capacity with sustainability goals, cementing Embraer’s position as a core provider for Japan’s evolving domestic flight network.
South Korea: from parts supplier to co-developer
Parallel to this operational expansion in Japan, South Korea is actively exploring a deep industrial partnership with the Brazilian manufacturer. During President Lee Jae Myung’s state visit to Brazil, he identified the joint development of a next-generation commercial aircraft as one of the main engines of economic cooperation between the two countries.
According to Presidential Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom, Seoul wants to participate in Embraer’s planned program from the development stage onward — reportedly a larger 150-to-200-seat airliner — moving beyond its current role as a parts supplier, although discussions remain at a very early stage.
That ambition took concrete shape with a new memorandum of understanding between Embraer and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), signed during the Korea-Brazil Business Roundtable in São Paulo. The agreement builds on an announcement made in February and establishes a framework for broader collaboration and regular strategic dialogue.
It illustrates how Embraer’s rising regional market success is driving broader strategic alliances across East Asia’s commercial aerospace ecosystem.
