South Africa’s Airlink begins Embraer E190 operations

South African regional carrier Airlink has begun operations with the first of its incoming fleet of Embraer E190s, operating scheduled flights on its Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) and Bulawayo (Zimbabwe) routes. Johannesburg-based Airlink has three of the new type on strength and plans to build up a fleet of 13 E190s and E170s, gradually replacing its existing inventory of 12 Avro RJ85s. The airline said the E190 will allow it to introduce a business-class cabin on the Pietermaritzburg and Bulawayo routes, as well as give passengers additional seat pitch. One new route for the E190s, which will have ETOPS certification, will be the Johannesburg to St Helena route. St Helena is a remote British possession in the South Atlantic, which has been searching for a suitable aircraft to serve its new airport after windshear and tailwind problems rendered it unsuitable for the initially planned operator, South Africa’s Comair. <br/>