Australian charter airline Alliance is purchasing six Embraer E190 aircraft from leasing company Aercap to remove their engines for use as backups for its existing fleet of E190s.

The airline said the sales would come from exercising a letter of intent (LOI) signed with Aercap in February 2023 for up to 30 aircraft and would also see Alliance sell the E190 airframes to a European operator.

Alliance’s managing director Scott McMillan explained the unusual decision: “It is important to note that the underlying basis for the Aercap transaction was to provide a ready supply of high-quality GE CF34-10 engines for Alliance’s growing E190 fleet, and this transaction forms an important part of that strategy.”

The first of the engine deliveries is expected later this month and will see the aircraft flown from the US to Europe, where the engines will be removed and sent to Australia and the airframes will remain to be delivered to their new owner.

Alliance’s announcement also revealed it would be selling 13 surplus Rolls-Royce Tay 620/650 engine cores in its possession to another European operator, with deliveries to begin this month. 

The company explained the engine cores were either time-expired or unserviceable and were no longer needed by the airline after it acquired serviceable engines for its Fokker 70 and 100 fleet for delivery next year.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The decision to take delivery of the new engines likely represents Alliance’s efforts to balance its fleet expansion, which it admitted would likely be hampered by aircraft delivery delays after lowering its expectations for the year from 17 to 12 aircraft in April.