In recent years, the Embraer E195-E2 has become an increasingly common sight in the world of commercial regional aviation. The next-generation regional jet is also large enough and has a sufficient range to serve lower-demand short to medium-haul routes, underlining the versatility of an aircraft that is becoming more popular by the day. However, few operators really put the type’s range to the test.

However, in Africa, there is one particular route that stands out in this regard, and brings the Embraer
E195-E2 fairly close to the limits of its operational performance. Let’s take a look at how the next-generation regional jet fits in on this corridor, as well as some of the aircraft’s other longest routes, as well as the key facts and figures that are at play when it comes to determining the range of such an aircraft.

How far can the Embraer E195-E2 fly?

Calculating an aircraft’s range is a complex matter, as there are various factors that manufacturers have to consider that mean that it’s more than a case of flying until the fuel runs out and checking the mileometer. Indeed, with each operator of a given aircraft choosing the configure the plane differently, manufacturers have to reach a compromise on the load figure used in this calculation.

Additionally, reserve fuel has to be factored into an aircraft’s operational range, as planes sometimes have to undertake diversions or missed approaches that add mileage to the initial end-to-end distance of a given route. With this in mind, Embraer notes that, the published range figure for the Embraer E195-E2 is based on a full all-economy cabin with an average passenger weight of 100 kg (220 lbs).

Operationally speaking, the Brazilian regional jet manufacturer also highlights the figure is based on long-range cruise (LRC) flying, rather than maximum range cruise (MRC) operations. According to the International Virtual Aviation Organisation, “LRC provides 2-3% faster cruise speed [while] sacrificing 1% of the range.” Embraer also notes that 100 nautical miles of fuel reserves to allow the aircraft to divert to an alternate airport are factored into its operational range calculation for the E195-E2.

Embraer E195-E2 Prototype Landing In Malta

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

When all is said and done, the published operational range for the Embraer E195-E2 is 2,600 nautical miles, with this figure being equivalent to 2,992 miles or 4,815 kilometers. However, as announced by Embraer at the Farnborough International Airshow in July of 2024, this figure can now climb to 3,000 nautical miles (3,452 miles or 5,556 km) if certain upgrades and improvements are made.

Only one route comes close to the E195-E2’s maximum range

Working, for now, with the published operational range of 2,992 miles for the Embraer E195-E2, current scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that, currently, only one route comes close to testing this figure. Indeed, looking at the type’s scheduled operations in February 2025, we can see that its longest route is with Air Peace
from Lagos (LOS) to Johannesburg (JNB).

All in all, Cirium’s data shows that this African route from Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Nigeria to O. R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa is 2,804 miles (4,512 km) in length, giving almost 200 miles of redundancy. Air Peace’s flights on the route that use the E195-E2 have scheduled block times of six hours and 20 minutes each way, with certain northbound legs operating overnight.

According to Cirium, Air Peace has scheduled 14 flights on this corridor in February 2025, with four being southbound sectors from Lagos to Johannesburg, and the remaining 10 traveling northbound. Generally speaking, northbound flights operate on Sundays and Mondays, with those traveling southbound limited to Sunday-only operations. The first two Sundays of the month have two northbound flights.

All in all, Air Peace has scheduled 52 flights with the Embraer E195-E2 from Lagos to Johannesburg this year, with 110 northbound sectors planned across the whole of 2025. The Nigerian carrier’s sole direct competition on this medium-haul route comes from South African Airways, which, according to Cirium’s data, has scheduled 157 round trips this year with the Airbus A330 and 48 with the A340.

Air Peace’s Embraer E195-E2 fleet in a nutshell

The Embraer E195-E2 is comfortably the youngest aircraft type in Air Peace’s current fleet, with data made available by ch-aviation showing that its five examples have an average age of just 3.7 years old. This represents a stark contrast to the relatively old remainder of the Nigerian carrier’s fleet, which has a mean age of 20.5 years old, with the next youngest type being the Boeing 737-700 (13.8 years).

Air Peace Embraer E2 Rendering

Image: Embraer

Air Peace also reportedly has outstanding orders in place for a further eight examples of the Embraer E195-E2, which will take the size of its total sub-fleet for the type up to 13 aircraft once all are present and correct. The five existing examples all joined the airline in 2021, with their arrival dates ranging from January 27th (5N-BYF) to December 9th (5N-BYJ). According to a statement released by Embraer at the time of the first delivery, Air Peace is Africa’s first E2 operator.

The carrier has chosen to configure all of its examples of the next-generation jet with two-class setting configurations that have space for a grand total of 124 passengers onboard. This figure comprises 112 seats in economy class and 12 in business class, with Air Peace also being the first operator of the type to configure the latter cabin in the staggered 2-2 layout with a 51-inch pitch as seen below.

Air Peace Embraer E195-E2 Business Class Cabin

Photo: Embraer

Expanding on this special seating configuration, Embraer explains that “each of the 12 business class seats is slightly offset from the other to give more space and privacy.” Despite the 2-2 setup, the staggered layout means that “passengers by the windows have unobstructed access to the aisle,” with Embraer adding that “they don’t need to awkwardly step over their seatmates or ask them to move.”

Other lengthy Embraer E195-E2 routes

Taking a closer look at Cirium’s scheduling data for February 2025, we can see that there is a considerable gap in the range between Air Peace’s African corridor from Lagos to Johannesburg and the next-longest route with the type. Indeed, the route in question, namely Porter Airlines
‘Canadian domestic corridor from Montréal Trudeau International (YUL) to Vancouver (YVR) is over 500 miles shorter.

Porter Airlines Embraer E195-E2 Landing In Toronto

Photo: BD Images | Shutterstock

Indeed, this internal route clocks in at 2,295 miles (3,693 km) long, leaving it trailing Air Peace’s route between Lagos and Johannesburg by 509 miles (819 km). Of course, it is worth bearing in mind that the figures quoted are Great Circle distances between the two airports, with the day-to-day operations of these routes likely seeing some degree of variation depending on the routes taken and runways used.

Porter Airlines is scheduled to operate this route almost daily in February 2025, with 26 round trips planned. Flying west from Montréal to Vancouver, these services have scheduled block times of five hours and 51 minutes, while the eastbound sectors are timed to take four hours and 56 minutes. However, unlike some of Air Peace’s Embraer E195-E2 operations, none of these flights travel overnight.

Azul Embraer E195-E2 Special Livery

Photo: Guilherme Amancio Moreno | Shutterstock

Not far behind this route in terms of length is Porter Airlines’ 2,260-mile (3,637 km) international route from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to San Francisco (SFO). According to Cirium, the Canadian regional carrier plans to operate this route daily with the Embraer E195-E2 in February 2025. Sandwiched between these two corridors in terms of range is Azul
‘s 2,275-mile (3,661 km) international Embraer E195-E2 route from Recife (REC) in Brazil to Montevideo (MVD) in Uruguay.

A handful more E195-E2 routes exceed 2,000 miles

While the four routes covered thus far are the only ones in excess of 2,250 miles with scheduled Embraer E195-E2 flights this February, the bracket from 2,000 to 2,250 miles has quite a few more. Three of these are operated by Royal Jordanian
, which flies its examples of the type from Amman to Amsterdam (2,116 miles / 3,405 km), Brussels (2,080 miles / 3,347 km), and Düsseldorf (2,007 miles / 3,320 km). These aircraft have 122 seats onboard in a two-class configuration.

Royal Jordanian Embraer E195-E2

Photo: Dr Ajay Kumar Singh | Shutterstock

Meanwhile, the remaining routes in the bracket between 2,000 and 2,250 miles are all operated by the aforementioned Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines. As was the case for its very longest scheduled passenger routes with the Embraer E195-E2, these corridors also connect destinations in the east of Canada with those in the west of either Canada itself or across the border in the neighboring US.

Flying out of Ottawa (YOW), destinations served by Porter’s E195-E2s that are between 2,000 and 2,250 miles away include Las Vegas (LAS) and Vancouver. Meanwhile, the route from Montréal to Las Vegas also falls under this category, as do the domestic corridors from Vancouver and Victoria (YYJ) to Toronto. Additionally, Toronto itself has a further two Porter Airlines routes operated by the E195-E2 that fall under this range bracket, namely Palm Springs (PSP) and San Diego (SAN).

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