Helvetic Airways adds a further Embraer E190-E1 to its aircraft fleet

Helvetic Airways of Switzerland put a further Embraer E190-E1 aircraft into operation on Saturday. The latest addition to the Helvetic Airways fleet has been acquired on a leased-in basis.

The further Embraer E190-E1, which bears the registration HB-JVS, left San José (Costa Rica) for its ferry flight to Switzerland on Friday 1 March. After overflying the USA and Canada, the aircraft was flown across the North Atlantic, and arrived at Zurich Airport as scheduled Saturday evening.

The 104-seat aircraft will be deployed on Helvetic Airways’ own flights and on the wet-lease services which Helvetic operates on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines. It will be followed by three further E190-E1 deliveries – registered HB-JVT, HB-JVU and HB-JVV – at roughly monthly intervals. With three Fokker 100 aircraft withdrawn, the new arrivals will ensure the continued strong stability of Helvetic Airways’ flight operations.

These four additional Embraer E190-E1s for the Helvetic Airways fleet are being leased-in from Nordic Aviation Capital of Denmark. Following their arrival, the Helvetic fleet will consist of eleven Embraer E190-E1s for the 2019 summer season. The airline will then begin to take delivery of the first of its twelve advanced new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft in autumn of this year.

The new Embraer E190-E2s will join the Helvetic Airways fleet from September 2019 onwards. Four Helvetic Embraer E190-E1s are currently operated on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines under a long-term aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) lease agreement. The further fleet members are deployed on Helvetic Airways’ own scheduled and charter services or under other ACMI lease agreements. The airline, whose workforce currently numbers 433 employees, also operates an EASA Part 145-certificated maintenance facility at Zurich Airport.