Aircraft
Embraer E195-E2 Narrowbody Airliner Takes Flight
First test mission comes at least three months ahead of early targets
A proposed joint venture between Boeing and Embraer would see the U.S. manufacturer assume control of 80-percent of the Brazilian company's commercial aviation business, which includes the E195-E2 program. (Photo: Embraer)
A proposed joint venture between Boeing and Embraer would see the U.S. manufacturer assume control of 80-percent of the Brazilian company's commercial aviation business, which includes the E195-E2 program. (Photo: Embraer)

The Embraer E195-E2 flew for the first time on Wednesday, marking the start of a nearly two-year-long flight-test regime expected to culminate in Brazilian airworthiness certification in early 2019. The latest milestone for Embraer’s E2 program came at least three months earlier than the second-half 2017 date range the company originally targeted, meaning first flight of two of the three planned E2 variants has happened ahead of schedule.