The E190-E2 passenger airliner exhibited by Embraer is painted as a giant shark at the Airshow China 2018. Photo: VCG

Embraer announced on Thursday that the E190-E2 single-aisle passenger aircraft has received the Type Certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, China's civil aviation regulator, which will help it tap the aviation market in second- and third-tier cities.

It is expected that certification for Embraer's larger E195-E2 aircraft, which is ongoing, will follow shortly.

Arjan Meijer, president and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the certification paves the way for significant E190-E2 business opportunities in China, explaining that statistics show that about 1 billion people living in China's second- and third tier cities "have never taken a flight."

Meijer said that the E190-E2 and E195-E2, seating up to 114 and 146 passengers respectively, offer complementary capacity to China's indigenous ARJ21 and C919 aircraft.

The E190-E2 first began service in Europe in 2018. It is a single-aisle jet with a capacity of up to 114 seats in Embraer's signature two by two seating.

Guo Qing, managing director and VP of Commercial Aviation with Embraer China, said that it is the first aircraft in its class to have flown to some of the world's highest airports in western China including Lhasa and Yushu.

Embraer's E2 family of aircraft enables airlines to build operational flexibility, match capacity with demand, and add frequent flights, enhancing connectivity in China in the post-epidemic era.

The E190-E2 and E195-E2 are the most fuel-efficient single aisle aircraft flying today, delivering 17.3 percent and 25.4 percent better fuel efficiency per seat respectively, compared to previous generation E-Jets, according to Embraer.

Embraer's latest market forecast revealed that 1,445 new aircraft in the up to 150-seat category will be delivered in China through 2041, thanks to the nation's long-term economic development and the continuing evolution of the Chinese civil aviation system.

The ARJ21 is the first domestically made regional passenger jet, which obtained its certification in 2014 in China.

Designed with a capacity of 78 to 90 seats and a range of 3,700 km, the ARJ21 can fly in alpine and plateau regions and adapt to varying airport conditions. As a pioneer of Chinese commercial airplanes, the ARJ21 was put into commercial service by Chengdu Airlines in June 2016.

The homegrown ARJ21 regional jetliner also received 30 new orders at the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, on Wednesday.

The C919 aircraft has a layout of 158 to 168 seats, and a range of 4,075 to 5,555 kilometers.