Lineage clocks up the hours

The aircraft – based on the Embraer 190 regional jet – is operated by Prestige Jet and has been used for frequent UAE-to-Europe missions.

The Lineage 1000 was delivered during EBACE and the Brazilian manufacturer is believed to now have 20 orders for the type, with the majority destined for the Middle East.

“The entry into service has proved to be successful,” says international sales director Colin Stevens. “We are seeing direct operating costs at 15% less than the BBJ and 30% less than the ACJ. We are ironing out one or two small problems. All-in-all we think this is going to be a very successful aircraft for the Middle East region.”

Arabian Aerospace had an opportunity to inspect the launch aircraft in Geneva as it began its delivery flight to Abu Dhabi. The highly-polished leading edges of wings and engine inlets immediately mark this out on the ramp from its commercial regional jet sister. Polished chrome external handrails lead upward into the cabin, where a warm reception area gives a taste of things to come for the 19 passengers.

Carpet throughout the 25.9m (85ft)-long cabin is padded below with multiple layers of sound-dampening insulation. Baggage and cargo is loaded in the rear port-side door and placed in a heated and pressurised 9.14m3 (322ft3) storage section at the aft end of the cabin, accessible during flight. Embraer is offering an option to remove some of the storage space and, instead, install a shower. 

Embraer estimates it will now take six months from the time the designated aircraft is pulled from the E190 production line, fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks and had an interior fitted. The additional tanks boost fuel capacity by 69%, up to 21,867kg (48,165lb) or 27,232 litres (7,185USgal) from the standard fuel load of 12,972kg in the E-190; wing tanks providing for an intercontinental range of 8,149km (4,400nm) allowing it city pairings such as Abu Dhabi to London, Hong Kong or Johannesburg. “Because of the aircraft’s heritage we can operate in places like New York’s Teeterboro and even London City,” Stevens says.

Inside the first Lineage, the interior is spectacular with a contemporary, white leather.

“While we welcome customers bringing in their own designers to work on the different modules, we are proud that we offer more than 700 options in fabric for the divans, panels and curtains and more than 400 choices in leather,” Stevens says. The interior was designed by Priestman Goode and completed by De Crane.

“Because the Lineage is longer than both the Airbus ACJ and the Boeing Business Jet, it allows numerous possibilities.

“We can have clearly defined areas for work or rest. We have made sure the aircraft can have state-of-the-art entertainment and office communication capabilities – it is not surprising that it has already been in such demand.”

It is not just the passengers that benefit. For the crew there is comfort and style as well as latest technology. There is a crew rest area and a separate crew lavatory. The cockpit is equipped with a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite that allows for the Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics head-up display.

Embraer is in the process of certificating the Kollsman EVS II system, which will give Lineage pilots an infrared forward view when it is ready next year.

“The Lineage costs significantly less to fly than its competitors but has all of the comforts. I am proud that it is already delivering outstanding performance in service in Abu Dhabi,” Stevens says.