SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil - Embraer and the Chinese carrier Tianjin Airlines have signed a final agreement for the sale of 22 aircraft. The contract, with an estimated value of $1.1 billion at current list prices, comprises 20 Embraer 195s and two E190-E2s.

Tianjin's initial 195 is to be delivered by the end of 2015, and the initial E190-E2 is scheduled for delivery in 2018. Tianjin currently operates the largest E-Jets fleet in Asia, and has now become the first Chinese airline to order the E2.

An agreement between Embraer and Tianjin for 40 aircraft had been announced in July 2014. The remaining 18 aircraft are slated to be E190-E2s, and will be part of a second approval by Chinese authorities at a later time.

"We are honored to confirm this repeated order for our largest client in Asia," said Paulo Cesar Silva, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation. "China is growing very fast and there is a need for smaller narrowbody jets to support efficient hub-and-spoke operations, complementing larger narrowbody aircraft operations, thus providing an ideal balance of frequency and seats, encouraging the development of new markets with lower risks and incremental capacity, while generating significant demand for new aircraft in this category."

Tianjin was the launch customer for the Embraer 190 in China, and currently has 50 190s in its fleet. It is also the first carrier appointed as an Authorized Service Center for Embraer aircraft in China.

A subsidiary of HNA Group, Tianjin was launched as a regional airline in 2009. The following year, the carrier changed its focus from purely regional operations to a combination of mainline and regional services. The carrier operates a fleet of more than 80 aircraft that serves over 100 domestic and international cities and carries more than 10 million travelers.

Source: Embraer