Neither Boeing nor Airbus? Scoot gets Singapore's first Brazil-made jet off the ground
SINGAPORE - It was a rare moment in his 20 years of flying commercial aircraft.
As the Embraer E190-E2 plane touched down in Krabi, Thailand, after taking off from Changi Airport on May 7, Captain Darius Yeo was greeted with applause from passengers.
The 46-year-old, who is the pilot in charge of Scoot's new E190-E2 fleet, was at the controls of the budget carrier's first Brazilian-made jet on its maiden commercial flight.
While the 112-seat plane is smaller than the Airbus A320, Boeing 777 and double-deck Airbus A380 «superjumbo» he previously flew, the flight was no less significant.
Made in Sao Jose dos Campos, a city in Brazil an hour from Sao Paulo, the E190-E2 is the first aircraft from manufacturer Embraer operated by a Singapore carrier.
It is also the first time since the late 1990s that a carrier in the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group is flying a plane not supplied by Boeing or Airbus.
For passengers, the main benefit besides the novelty and added option is the absence of a middle seat.
Capt Yeo said the jet, touted as being the quietest in its class, has so far lived up to expectations.