BermudAir to add leased E190 freighter and start cargo operations

BermudAir will lease an Embraer 190F from US lessor Regional One, moving the Bermuda flag carrier into cargo operations for the first time. According to the airline, the aircraft makes it the second operator of Embraer's freighter version worldwide.

Regional One has five E190Fs on order, two of which have gone to the launch customer, Bridges Air Cargo. BermudAir already flies Embraer equipment, with two E175s and two E190s.

Chief executive Adam Scott called the move into freight a natural next step. The carrier has built a dependable, right-sized operation linking Bermuda and the Caribbean with North America, he said, and the E190F would let it use that same network to carry express cargo for local businesses, e-commerce and time-sensitive freight across the islands it serves.

BermudAir is the first operator of the freighter variant in the Americas. Arjan Meijer, president of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the airline's choice of the E190F was a significant point for the freighter programme, with the aircraft flying in North America and the Caribbean for the first time.