Farnborough, UK. 18 July 2018. In a deal that will see the Middle East’s first E2 operator, Embraer announced, at the Farnborough Airshow 2018, that has signed a firm order for 10 E195-E2 aircraft with Kuwaiti airline, Wataniya Airways. The firm order will be included in Embraer’s 2018 third-quarter backlog. The contract also includes 10 purchase rights for the same model, bringing the total potential order to up to 20 aircraft. The order has an estimated value of USD 1.3 billion, at current list price, with all the purchase rights being confirmed. The deliveries will start in 2020. “It’s great to welcome Wataniya Airways to the E-Jets operator family”, said John Slattery, President & CEO, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “Wataniya will not only be the first E2 operator in the Middle East, but also the worldwide launch customer of our staggered seat business class, which will establish a new level of comfort in business class for crossover narrow-body jets.” The airline will configure the E195-E2 in comfortable layout of 118 seats, with 12 in business class and 106 in economy class. “The E195-E2 will allow us to open non-served markets and increase frequencies, delivering better connectivity to the Kuwait market”, said Rakan Al-Tuwaijri, CEO of Wataniya Airways. “We have chosen the staggered seats to differentiate ourselves from the competition, offering a superior product with extra leg room and better privacy for our customers.” Embraer is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats. The Company has 100 customers from all over the world operating the ERJ and E-Jet families of aircraft. For the E-Jets program alone, Embraer has logged more than 1,800 orders and 1,400 deliveries, redefining the traditional concept of regional aircraft.