Envoy Air’s process for taking delivery of a new Embraer aircraft spans several months and involves multiple phases of inspection, certification, and preparation before entering revenue service.
The aircraft build begins at Embraer’s facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, where the manufacturing timeline runs approximately three months. Throughout this period, Envoy maintenance representatives conduct a series of Customer Acceptance Inspections to ensure the aircraft is progressing to the airline’s specifications.
The production phase concludes with a test flight flown by Embraer’s test pilots.
Taking Delivery
Delivery typically takes place over the course of a week. The process begins with a Customer Acceptance Flight conducted by an Envoy management pilot. Additional inspections and audits by Envoy maintenance follow.
The aircraft is officially purchased mid-week, typically on a Wednesday. Once acquired, it undergoes regulatory checks by Brazil’s civil aviation authority, ANAC, before being issued a U.S. FAA Certificate of Airworthiness and registration.
The ferry journey to the United States starts shortly after. The aircraft departs São José dos Campos, making stops in Manaus and Fort Lauderdale, before arriving at Envoy’s maintenance base in Abilene, Texas.
At this final stage, known as conformity, the aircraft receives final installations such as in-seat power systems and Wi-Fi, along with Envoy-specific equipment. After a final series of inspections and preparations, the aircraft is cleared for entry into commercial service.
Envoy exclusively operates Embraer E170 and E175 aircraft, and is one of the world’s largest operators of the type. The regional carrier has nearly 170 Embraer aircraft in its fleet.
The carrier also says it has a fleet commitment of 214 aircraft and will be expecting new E175 deliveries through 2027.
