# Embraer ERJ family
The Embraer ERJ family (Embraer Regional Jets) is a series of narrow-body twinjet regional airliners built by the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer in four passenger versions seating 37 to 50 people: the ERJ135, ERJ140, ERJ145, and the extended-range ERJ145XR. The original EMB 145 first flew on 11 August 1995, was certified in December 1996, and gave rise to a complete family that also spawned business jet and military surveillance variants.[1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) • [2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Family members | ERJ135 (37 seats), ERJ140 (44 seats), ERJ145 (50 seats), ERJ145XR; 16 variants in total[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf) |
| First flight | EMB 145 prototype, 11 August 1995; public presentation one week later[1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) |
| Certification and entry into service | FAA and Brazilian CTA certification 10 December 1996; first delivery to Continental Express 27 December 1996; first revenue flight from Cleveland in April 1997, operated by ExpressJet Airlines for Continental Airlines[2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html) • [1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) • [4](https://www.embraer.com/media-center/en/?detail=15144&mediatype=NEWS) |
| Range | ERJ145 Long Range version carries a full passenger load up to 1,550 nm (2,873 km)[5](https://embraer.com/erjs/erj145/en/) |
| Engines | Rolls-Royce AE 3007A series on all variants; on the -145s the AE3007A1 delivers up to 8,169 lb of take-off thrust[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf) |
| Commonality | 95% commonality in parts and systems across the ERJ-135, -140, and -145, with a single pilot type rating for all three model series[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf) |
| Service record | Over 26 million flight hours with 36 airlines in 26 countries in the ERJ145's first 20 years of operation[5](https://embraer.com/erjs/erj145/en/) |
| Production end | Last ERJ-135/145 family aircraft delivered in June 2020[6](https://aeroin.net/ultimo-embraer-familia-e145-entregue/) |
## Development
Embraer revealed development plans for a 50-seat regional jet on 12 June 1989, originally targeting a first flight in late 1991 and first deliveries in mid-1993. The program was delayed by company cutbacks and a complete redesign of the wing. Metal was first cut for the prototype in the second quarter of 1993, assembly of the prototype (registered PT-ZJA) began in October 1994, and the fuselage sections were mated in January 1995.[2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html)
The prototype flew on 11 August 1995, ahead of its formal roll-out and official first flight a week later. Three pre-series aircraft followed, first flown on 17 November 1995, 14 February 1996, and 2 April 1996. The single prototype and three pre-series aircraft completed a 1,600-hour, 13-month development flight testing and certification program, and the aircraft was certified by the FAA and the Brazilian CTA to FAR/JAR 25, FAR Part 36, ICAO Annex 16, and FAR Part 121 standards on 10 December 1996.[2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html)
The timing mattered for the company as well as the aircraft. Embraer had been privatized in December 1994 after a period of financial turbulence, and deliveries of the ERJ-145 family, with capacities of 37 to 50 seats, beginning in 1996 helped the reorganized company regain its position in regional aviation.[7](https://embraer.com/media-center/en?detail=13420-Embraer-celebrates-55-years-with-focus-on-growth-and-confidence-in-the-future&mediatype=NEWS)
## Entry into service
The first delivery went to the US carrier Continental Express on 27 December 1996, with two aircraft (N15925 and N15926) handed over on 19 December 1996.[1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) • [2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html) The first revenue flight departed [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) in April 1997, operated by ExpressJet Airlines on behalf of [Continental Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/continental-airlines). Embraer's own retrospective describes the 50-seat regional jet as creating a new aircraft category, one suited to business travelers, with speed enough to cover twice the distance of a turboprop in the same time and so permit new non-stop flights and better hub connections.[4](https://www.embraer.com/media-center/en/?detail=15144&mediatype=NEWS)
ExpressJet became the type's largest operator, flying a fleet of 244 ERJ 145s.[8](https://jrosspub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9781604270716_CH3_1.pdf)
## The family members
**ERJ145.** The original 50-seat aircraft entered service with ExpressJet late in 1996 and has a maximum take-off weight of 46,000 to 48,000 lb depending on the variant, with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.78. The ERJ145LR is the most popular model in the family. The Long Range version carries a full passenger load up to 1,550 nm (2,873 km).[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf) • [5](https://embraer.com/erjs/erj145/en/) The ERJ-145 exists in 11 variants, including the ERJ-145XR and types built for air forces; eight are airline variants.[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
**ERJ135.** The ERJ135, the smallest member, was rolled out on 12 May 1998 and flew for the first time on 4 July 1998, entering service in 1999. It seats 37 passengers in a fuselage 3.54 m (11 ft 7 in) shorter than the ERJ-145's. Because weight fell without a corresponding reduction in fuel capacity, the ERJ-135LR flies 100 nm farther than the ERJ-140LR and 200 nm farther than the ERJ-145LR.[1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) • [3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
**ERJ140.** The ERJ140 seats 44 passengers and shares the AE3007A1 engine, slightly de-rated to a maximum take-off thrust of 7,426 lb. Of its two variants, only one is used by airlines; the other is a single aircraft operated by Embraer itself.[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
Across the three main types the design offers 95% commonality in parts and systems, and flight crews can be cross-type-rated on all three model series, allowing an airline to operate a single pilot pool. All family members share the same cargo capacity of 325 cubic feet (9.2 cubic meters), located aft of the cabin; the maximum load is 2,205 lb (1,000 kg) for the ERJ-135 and 2,645 lb (1,200 kg) for the ERJ-145.[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
## Engines
All variants of the ERJ-145 family use versions of the Rolls-Royce AE 3007A turbofan; on the -145s the version is the AE3007A1 with a maximum take-off thrust of up to 8,169 lb, with many sub-variants differing in Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) software. The engines were designed for uncomplicated maintenance, with interchangeability, common hardware across the family, and trend data monitoring; the dual-channel FADEC and functional redundancy reduce pilot workload.[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf) During revenue operations of the ERJ 145 fleet, operators reported to Embraer and Rolls-Royce a particular behavior of the engine's high-pressure section in crosswind conditions, a subject of a 2006 SAE technical paper on rear-mounted engine installations.[9](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/crosswind-effects-rear-mounted-aircraft-engine-installation-efeitos-vento-cruzado-em-aeronaves-com-motores-instalados-na-fuselagem-traseira-2006-01-2882)
## Military and special-mission variants
Embraer developed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) versions of the airframe. The EMB 145 AEW&C and EMB 145 RS airborne surveillance aircraft flew for the first time on 24 August 1999. The [Brazilian Air Force](https://www.edgepedia.org/brazilian-air-force) operates the type as the R-99A, R-99B, and P-99. Embraer also foresaw military uses for the ERJ-145 as a tanker for small combat units and as an airborne early warning, elint, comint, sigint, or battlefield surveillance platform.[1](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/) • [2](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html)
## Production end and service life
Production of the ERJ-135/145 family ended in 2020, with the last family aircraft delivered in June 2020.[6](https://aeroin.net/ultimo-embraer-familia-e145-entregue/) By that point the ERJ145 had accumulated more than 26 million flight hours in service with 36 airlines in 26 countries over its first 20 years of operation.[5](https://embraer.com/erjs/erj145/en/) A Chinese assembly line also existed: the ERJ-145LI designation covers aircraft assembled in China by a joint venture between Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation and Embraer, a partnership started in 2003.[3](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
The fleet remains active in regional service, supported by a maintenance industry built around the type. MHI RJ Aviation Group, known chiefly for [Bombardier CRJ](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombardier-crj) maintenance, signed a contract with the [American Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-airlines) subsidiary [Piedmont Airlines](https://www.edgepedia.org/piedmont-airlines) to perform heavy maintenance on its ERJ145 fleet, reflecting the number of regional carriers still flying the aircraft.[10](https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/mro-americas/mhirj-lands-piedmont-airlines-heavy-maintenance-deal) Because production has stopped, operators seeking additional airframes rely on the second-hand market rather than new builds.[6](https://aeroin.net/ultimo-embraer-familia-e145-entregue/)
## References
1. [História da Embraer, Embraer](https://embraer.com/centro-historico-historia-embraer/pt/)
2. [EMBRAER ERJ-145, Jane's Information Group (via migavia.com)](https://janes.migavia.com/bra/embraer/erj-145.html)
3. [ERJ-135/-140/-145 specifications, Aircraft Commerce Issue No. 61 (December 2008/January 2009)](https://www.aircraft-commerce.com/wp-content/uploads/aircraft-commerce-docs/Aircraft%20guides/ERJ-135-145/ISSUE61_ERJSPECS.pdf)
4. [The Making of a Legend, Embraer Media Center (April 2017)](https://www.embraer.com/media-center/en/?detail=15144&mediatype=NEWS)
5. [ERJ145, Embraer Commercial Aviation](https://embraer.com/erjs/erj145/en/)
6. [Fim de uma história: último Embraer da família ERJ-135/145 é entregue, Aeroin (19 June 2020)](https://aeroin.net/ultimo-embraer-familia-e145-entregue/)
7. [Embraer celebrates 55 years with focus on growth and confidence in the future, Embraer Media Center (August 2024)](https://embraer.com/media-center/en?detail=13420-Embraer-celebrates-55-years-with-focus-on-growth-and-confidence-in-the-future&mediatype=NEWS)
8. [Aircraft Efficiency: Operating and Financial Metrics, J. Ross Publishing, Chapter 3](https://jrosspub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9781604270716_CH3_1.pdf)
9. [Crosswind Effects in Rear-Mounted Aircraft Engine Installation, SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-2882](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/crosswind-effects-rear-mounted-aircraft-engine-installation-efeitos-vento-cruzado-em-aeronaves-com-motores-instalados-na-fuselagem-traseira-2006-01-2882)
10. [MHIRJ Lands Piedmont Airlines Heavy Maintenance Deal, Aviation Week](https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/mro-americas/mhirj-lands-piedmont-airlines-heavy-maintenance-deal)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Aircraft › Airliners and civil transport aircraft › Regional and turboprop airliners › Embraer regional aircraft (Bandeirante, Brasília, ERJ-145, E-Jets)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license