Brandon's passion for aviation started at a young age. He became involved in the flight simulator and VATSIM communities, which sparked his interest in aviation and eventually led him to earn his private pilot license. Outside of work, he continues to build flight hours, explore new airports, and stay involved in the aviation community.
The Embraer E195-E2 entered service in 2019 and spent six years without a single American customer. Embraer's backlog at the end of June 2025 held 190 of them, destined almost entirely for airlines outside the United States, in a market where the manufacturer dominates regional flying with the previous-generation E175. CNBC described the aircraft as efficient but slow-selling, outsold by similarly sized competitors including the Airbus A220 family.
That changed on September 10, 2025, when Avelo Airlines placed a firm order for 50 E195-E2s with purchase rights for 50 more, a deal worth $4.4 billion at list prices. Avelo became the first US carrier to commit to the E2 family and only the second operator in North America. The reason it could, and others haven't, comes down to a provision in American pilot contracts that caps regional aircraft at 76 seats and 86,000 lb (39,009 kg) maximum takeoff weight. Avelo has no regional operation, so none of it applies.
One Order, One Airline, Four Years After Launch
Avelo Airlines placed a firm order for 50 Embraer E195-E2s on September 10, 2025, with purchase rights for 50 more, in a deal signed in Washington and valued at $4.4 billion at list prices excluding the options. The order made Avelo the first US carrier to commit to the E2 family, and only the second operator in North America after Canada's Porter Airlines, which took delivery of its first E195-E2s in December 2022 and put them into service the following year. Deliveries to Avelo begin in the first half of 2027.
The order arrived days after the airline secured what it described as the single largest investment since its launch, from an undisclosed investor for an undisclosed amount. Avelo did not disclose the figure, saying it would use the money to grow the business and improve the customer experience. The aircraft order provided the clearest indication of what that meant in practice. A carrier that had operated exclusively second-hand Boeing 737s since its 2021 launch was committing to a new-build fleet from a different manufacturer.
What makes the order unusual is not its size but its isolation. The E195-E2 entered service in 2019 and has been available to American carriers throughout. Embraer's backlog at the end of the second quarter of 2025 included 437 commercial aircraft: 190 E195-E2s and 39 E190-E2s, with buyers across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. CNBC described the E2 as efficient but slow-selling, noting that similarly sized aircraft, including the Airbus A220 family, had outsold it. The question is why an aircraft Embraer markets as fuel-efficient took six years to find a single American customer.
What The Scope Clause Actually Blocks
Scope clauses are provisions in pilot union contracts at US mainline carriers that limit how much flying can be outsourced to regional partners by capping the size of the aircraft those partners can operate. The current limits allow regional operators to fly aircraft with no more than 76 seats and a certified maximum takeoff weight of 86,000 lb (39,009 kg) on behalf of a mainline carrier. Both thresholds have to be met. An aircraft that satisfies the seat count but exceeds the weight is just as excluded as one that breaches both.
That second threshold is where Embraer's problems begin. The E175-E2, the smallest member of the family and the direct successor to the E175 that American regional carriers operate in large numbers, exceeds the 86,000 lb limit. Without an amendment to the scope clause, it cannot replace the aircraft it was designed to replace, and those agreements have proved rigid through successive rounds of contract negotiation. Embraer built a next-generation regional jet that the largest regional jet market in the world cannot legally fly.
The larger variants are not close. The E190-E2 and E195-E2 sit well above both limits, with the E195-E2 seating up to 146 passengers against the 76-seat cap. No amendment short of a fundamental rewrite would admit them to US regional flying. That explains why the E2 family has been absent from the regional market that Embraer dominates with the previous generation, where 208 E175s sat in the backlog at the end of June 2025 against 190 E195-E2s destined almost entirely for operators outside the United States. That doesn't explain why an airline like Avelo could sign for 100 of them.
Why Avelo Can Order What Others Have Not
Avelo operates no regional subsidiary and flies nothing on behalf of a mainline carrier. The constraint that has kept the E2 family out of the United States does not reach it. Economy Class and Beyond made the point directly, noting that Avelo is taking a chance here because it doesn't have a regional carrier and therefore isn't bound by those clauses.
The distinction matters more than much of the coverage suggested. Several outlets described the scope clause as making the aircraft impossible for mainline carriers to buy. The clauses actually restrict the aircraft a regional operator may fly on behalf of a mainline carrier. ch-aviation stated it precisely: the current US scope clause does not allow regional operators in the US to operate aircraft above those thresholds on behalf of mainline carriers.
The practical effect has been to remove the E2 from the market segment where Embraer is strongest. The manufacturer holds 208 E175 orders in its backlog, aircraft that fit within the scope limits, while 190 E195-E2s are going almost entirely to operators elsewhere. Economy Class and Beyond observed that it has taken Embraer far too long to find a customer for the E2 family in the USA, mainly because scope clauses prevented the E175-E2 and the larger members from entering service with US regional airlines. Avelo sits outside that system entirely, which raises the question of why it chose the E2 rather than the A220 that other US carriers have bought.
Why The E2 Over The A220?
On fuel burn, the two aircraft are close enough that the choice came down to other factors. AirInsight assessed the E195-E2 against the A220-300, which it identified as the obvious competitor, and concluded the difference between the two is marginal. What mattered more for Avelo is how the E2 compares with what the airline already flies. AirInsight found the E2's fuel burn materially better than the 737-700 and roughly equal to the much larger 737-800, noting that fuel burn is a key metric because Avelo currently flies two-hour legs using Boeing 737NGs.
Delivery timing worked against Airbus. Business Insider reported that Avelo opted for the E2 over the A220, an aircraft with longer range and higher capacity, because the Airbus would likely take longer to arrive due to supply chain bottlenecks. For a carrier with fresh investment and a growth plan, availability carries weight that range and capacity do not.
The cabin figured into the decision as well. CNBC reported that Avelo is betting the aircraft's two-by-two seating configuration and quieter cabin will appeal to customers compared with older jets. The E195-E2 has no middle seat, a defining feature of the type, Business Insider noted. Avelo already offers extra-legroom bulkhead rows and rows with the middle seat blocked on its 737s, and it is unclear whether the airline will carry a similar product across to the E2. Embraer CEO Arjan Meijer called the E195-E2 a game-changer for airlines that want to grow profitably while elevating the guest experience.
What Changes When The Aircraft Arrive In 2027
Avelo's fleet at the time of the order comprised 14 Boeing 737-800s and eight 737-700s, according to ch-aviation data. The airline has operated second-hand aircraft since its inception. Avelo said the E195-E2s will operate alongside its existing 737NG fleet, complementing it for the foreseeable future rather than replacing it, making the carrier a dual-fleet operator from 2027.
The aircraft's capability is what justifies the move. The E195-E2 is Embraer's largest and most advanced commercial aircraft, engineered for efficiency on high-density routes and offering double-digit fuel savings over the previous generation of E-Jets. It seats up to 146 passengers. The order report noted its short-runway performance, with analysts suggesting that capability could let Avelo serve both crowded airports and underserved destinations, which matches a carrier focused on smaller cities and operating a large base in Connecticut.
What the aircraft changes commercially is the size of the market Avelo can serve. AeroTime described the pivot to a dual-fleet strategy as serving notice to the rest of the US budget airline industry that Avelo intends to compete aggressively on cost and market scope, and reported that the order signals a turning point in the carrier's strategy. Deliveries begin in the first half of 2027. The question is whether a carrier of Avelo's size can carry two fleets while that network builds out, and those first aircraft begin to answer it.