Owing to airline demands for medium-capacity jets, Embraer launched the EMBRAER 170/190 aircraft family, later called E-Jets, which originally encompassed the EMBRAER 170, the EMBRAER 190 and the EMBRAER 195. Later, the family also included the EMBRAER 175.

The project was completely new, benefiting from the interactive simulation and modeling technology in Embraer’s CRV (Virtual Reality Center). The high degree of commonality among the models of this family—about 90% of the parts are common to several models—allows airlines to cut down drastically on operating costs and training, thereby increasing their flexibility and strengthening their profitability.

The launching of the new family was announced during the 43rd Paris Air Show on June 14, 1999. Initially, the airplanes were named ERJ 170, ERJ 190-100 and ERJ 190-200. Later on, during the rollout of the first prototype, the names were changed to EMBRAER 170, 190 and 195, respectively.

The EMBRAER 170 was the first model of the new jet family to be launched. Its rollout was conducted on October 29, 2001, and its first flight was taken on February 19 of the following year. In February 2004, it was officially approved in Brazil, the United States and Europe, and in the same year the first unit was delivered to LOT Polish Airlines.

In February 2006, the renowned magazine Air Transport World granted its annual Aviation Technology Recognition award, which is meant for a manufacturer who has developed a product that significantly improves airline service, capacity, efficiency and safety. That year, the award went to Embraer and its 170/190 family, whose four new-generation jets are giving airlines the flexibility to match aircraft size to market demand in the 70 to 110-seat segment.

As of July 2009, some 600 E-Jets are in operation for 46 airlines in 30 countries.

For more information about Embraer's commercial jets, visit:
Embraer Commercial Jets - EMBRAER 170