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Bridges Air Cargo is onboarding its first Embraer E190 P2F, making the Malta-based airline the launch customer for the converted freighter type.
In an Aug. 22 social media post, the company said a second aircraft will be delivered soon as part of its expansion plans.
Bridges Air Cargo is part of Bridges Worldwide, a provider of solutions to the international logistics, courier and express community and partners with companies like FedEx, DHL or UPS.
“There are four E190Fs orders from [Miami-based] lessor Regional One,” an Embraer spokesperson told Aviation Week Aug. 25. “Two of those are placed with Bridges. The E190F [conversion] program was launched in 2022. The first aircraft flew in April 2024,”
In a June statement from Embraer, Bridges Air Cargo MD Guy Bridges said the E190 P2F’s size fills a segment of underserved space in the cargo segment and paves the way to development of new routes.
Embraer said the E190F was developed to replace older, less efficient models and to meet the changing demands of e-commerce and modern trade. The manufacturer said it will fill the gap in the air cargo market between an ATR turboprop freighter, with over 40% more volume capacity to three times the range of that large cargo turboprop, and a Boeing 737-800F, with 30% lower operating costs than the larger narrowbody. Combining capacity under the floor and main deck, the maximum structural payload is 13,500 kg, the company said.
“As the first E190 P2F conversion … we are setting a new benchmark for regional cargo transport, transforming one of the world’s most efficient regional jets into the next-generation freighter,” Regional One President Hank Gibson said.
Embraer Commercial Aviation President and CEO Arjan Meijer said that after achieving triple certification for the aircraft with the FAA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), the airframer will support the partners for a smooth entry into service for the first E-Freighter.
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