How KLM Cityhopper accepts a brand-new Embraer E195-E2

We are here in Sanges Campus, in Brasília, above São Paulo. We are in the Embraer factory and we are here. This building is the F300, as they call it here. And that's the delivery center of Embraer, where all Embraer aircraft, or at least the commercial Embraer aircraft, are delivered. We have 24,000 people, total, at Embraer. Specifically here in this factory, about 10,000. Nowadays we have four main businesses. We have commercial aviation, we have executive jets, defense and security, and also service and support. In the background is our 25th Embraer, the 195E2, as it is officially called. For this one we have the registration NX. That NX comes from NEXT, the project is called NEXT. And we have now used the 26 letters, because we never use Q, it's for the simulator. And this is the NXZ. We bought these new aircraft because they are of course much quieter and more economical than the aircraft we already have. They are not bad aircraft because of that, but this is a new generation of aircraft. And that is mainly because of the design of the aircraft, but also because of the large engines that you see behind me. These engines are called gear turbofan engines. And what they actually did is, between the engine and the fan, they put a gearbox. So that the fan and the engine can both run at the ideal speed. That is not the case with a conventional gas turbine engine. Because they can both run in an efficient way, they are A, quieter, because they don't have to run so fast. And B, more economical than the old type of engines. And this aircraft is really very quiet. Because if you sit in it and see your speedometer, you think the engines are on, that's how quiet it is. A lot of things differentiate the E2 from the first generation. 75% of the aircraft is different. And this is a result of a new technology that we introduced. And also combining that with all the inputs from customers from the first generation. We are up here in those offices. It's funny because when they started renovating here, they came up with offices especially for the KLM team. We are always in office 7. Then you can have a good look at the aircraft. And we are of course with 6 or 7 people, normally with the team. KLM CityHop has no own maintenance department. They hire us for that, the Regional Jet Center. They do the technical maintenance themselves. And at the moment I support KLM CityHop in accepting a new aircraft. Especially the technical aspect. We have set certain specifications for the products we buy. Together with the team, we have time this week to check if all those specifications have been met. Yes, 2.255. This is 3.5, so that's also good. We usually start with the acceptance flight. In that flight, we mainly look at cabin items and flight systems from the pilots. We do that on a normal cruise, where our passengers are also located. We started the week with a test flight, in which the aircraft takes in the air. We make several approaches in different configurations. Everything in the cabin is taken with us. The doors do not leak, because in the air it behaves a little differently. And a door can perhaps hang a little differently in a spring than on the ground. For example, there are toilet doors that do not lock or close completely when we fly under pressure in the cabin. We check that the luggage racks all run nicely in a line. That they all open and close neatly. All the seats, the recline, the headrests, the seatbelts are all neatly placed. And we close the flight with the exhaust of the RAD. A turbine that can supply electricity to the aircraft in an emergency. If it is acceptable, we have a number of days here on the ground where we specifically look at all kinds of technical components. You have to think about engines, but also the fuselage itself. If there are no dents or if the paint is good. Actually all the technical aspects of an aircraft that must meet a requirement. Normally we put the aircraft on the jacks, on the cranks. And then we do the landing gear checks. And then we'll see how long it takes the gear to retract. There is a certain time for that, when it should retract and also drop. The aircraft also has an emergency system. In the event of an emergency, we can pull the aircraft to a lever and then it drops to a black line. If we encounter points that are not to be expected, Embraer has developed a beautiful system. Via an application on the phone. In this we provide information about our complaints. A good, clear complaint description. Filled with photos or even a video clip, you can add that. With that, a whole team here at Embraer gets going. They can be engineers, quality departments. Then a corrective action is carried out. Their own quality is first assessed and then offered to us. If that is acceptable, then we do a so-called buyback. And with that we close the complaint. If not, we can reject it with a comment. And then we have to follow a follow-up action. Just as long as it is good. We have actually had very little of this aircraft. And almost nothing during the flight. You have to think that there are tens of thousands of installations in an aircraft. But they did a very good job with this 25. If all those actions are completed, then we come to a point where KLC, the owner of the aircraft, will say. Yes, we are going to accept the aircraft. And then there is an acceptance. And that ceremony is always a bit official. And that also includes a glass of champagne and a toast, of course. As you have seen, it was in a separate room. That's what they always use it for. It's nice to say that they renovated it a few years ago. And we were the first in that new room. And then we made a hole in the ceiling with that champagne jug. And I put my name on it. And the registration of the aircraft. And that started to bloom a bit. And now every airline does that. The whole portfolio is now full. It's a special moment. We love to celebrate it. Because it's when we feel the pride, the recognition. It's a new start. So it's the best part. We don't see the hard work behind. But it's when we finally make it happen. And it's officially delivered. So we love to celebrate it. I've been working for Embraer for 21 years. All these years, I delivered 74 aircrafts to KLM. A result of a workforce for so many years. Combined with the colleagues from production. And the team that supports KLM while they are here. Indeed, the most beautiful experience we had. And then we really become the owner of the aircraft. At that moment, we hired REC. They will put our own software in the aircraft. And the last things are getting ready for the return flight to Amsterdam. The other thing is that we, with the Dutch Aviation Authority, IWT. That we already get our proof of airworthiness here. And proof of registration. So we have now all sent that to Amsterdam. Or to Hoofddorf. And tomorrow we get our papers there. We can print them ourselves. We put them on board. And then it's a KLM aircraft. It is very tough to work with them. They are very, very demanding. They are very professional. They want everything right. They challenge us a lot to deliver the best airplane ever. Certainly KLM was one of the biggest contributors. KLM is a customer that took us to a different level. Helped us a lot to enhance and increase the quality of the product. And challenged us a lot in terms of quality in the service. Not only the product. Again, collaboration is the key. Of course, we thought about cultural differences when we started this project. This is already 17 years ago. And I have also delved into the culture and the cultural differences. And we also make a lot of jokes about Brazilians. Because Brazilians never say no. In the best case, you might get it. They actually mean no. Or you get a very long story. They also mean no. While the Dutch just say no if something is wrong. Or it's not good. Or we are very direct. So we had to learn that. And they also had to get used to us. Whether we are direct. But there are also super enthusiastic people here. They are super proud of the product they deliver. When I first started, I took 10 Brazilian lessons to speak a bit of Portuguese. Then the teacher said, if you do that, you will be invited to people's homes. I said, I don't believe that. I've been to so many people's homes. People say, come to my father-in-law's barbecue on Saturday. I don't know your father-in-law at all. No, but come with the whole team. Because I told you about it. The man doesn't speak a word of English. And in one way or another, the Dutch and Brazilian cultures are still under each other. Despite the fact that we are very direct. Sometimes at the bottom. And of course they are very enthusiastic. Very open. Very extensive. But we are also ... And they like that. Despite the fact that we are very critical. And in short, they say, do we always want to help to improve the product? Of course, that improves the KLM or the KLC product. But they also realize that it also improves their product. So the improvements that come to our box. They also come in their planes. The collaboration with Embraer. That's really nice. Brazilians are very open-minded. Very proud. And therefore also mega proud of the product they deliver. And you really see that in the plane. The quality. The passion with which people do their work. How we are accompanied here. The whole team. But also during construction, when we are here. That's where friendships arise. It's all business that we do here. But you will see when we fly away. What happens. When this box leaves. Then people are waving outside. Because they have delivered this beautiful product behind us. I think that for certain players in this team. Who really come here for box 70. It will be quite a moment on Friday. I think so. And I also notice it a bit. In addition to a very beautiful plane. And a beautiful place where it is built. It is really a win-win for our fleet. The plane is of course brand new. And Embraer always ensures that it is in good condition. They cover all kinds of things. The floor cover is covered with foil. Which they only remove at the last moment. I think it will be washed again tonight. They put it up in the morning. Only outside. To make sure it doesn't get dirty. So we're really leaving with a brand new plane. How often do you have that? That you can fly home with such a beautiful new plane. This one only flew for nine hours. In fact. And we're going to take the plane home tomorrow.