Embraer Commercial Aviation has predicted Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will need 1,540 new aircraft in the 70- to 130-seat jet segment, valued at $80 billion at list prices, over the next 20 years.

Embraer Commercial Aviation VP-Europe & Middle East Arjan Meijer said, “Smaller jets fly around 40% of the total traffic to or from Paris CDG, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Munich. Connecting traffic, which now represents 65% of total passengers flying an E-Jet aircraft, will largely remain the core business of the major international carriers in Europe.”

Embraer said E-Jets are a “crucial strength for airlines’ presence in key airports such as London City wher they perform nearly half of all departures to cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Frankfurt and Zurich. The E190-E2 offers the best balance between aircraft capacity and frequency to serve high-time cost business passengers.”

According to Embraer, the aging profile of the current CIS fleet in service “suggests a need to renew. Some models need urgent replacement, particularly those aircraft with smaller seating capacity.” The average age of jets with up to 130 seats is now over 16 years.