We were lucky to be invited by SKS Airways to check out the Embraer E195-E2, which is making pit stops around the region to show off its demo plane, dubbed the Tech Lion. The place we headed to check out the plane? Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, also known as Subang Airport.
Why Subang Airport, you may ask? Well, SKS Airways is based in Subang Airport and their flights take off from there. You may also notice that yes, the E195-E2 is a jet plane, and currently, there are no scheduled flights taking off from Subang Airport using jet planes. At least, not until next year as SKS will be starting jet operations in 2024, with the arrival of their first plane in Q1 of next year.
The Malaysian Government recently gave the green light to the Subang Airport Regeneration Plan (SARP), where we will see the return of scheduled jet passenger and cargo flights to the former international gateway of Malaysia. SKS Airways will be one of the first companies to start their jet operations at the airport, as well as AirAsia – if the plans go through anyway.
To support the jet services, SKS Airways has picked one of the top names in city jets – the Embraer S.A from Brazil, and chosen the E195-E2 as their plane of choice.
Why the Embraer E195-E2?
The Embraer E195-E2 is a medium-sized jet that is in between the ATR that Firefly uses, and the Boeing 737 that Malaysia Airlines operates. It can fit a maximum of 146 passengers, but SKS Airways chose to fit 136 passengers for comfort.
The plane will have 16 premium economy and 120 economy seats, with a seat pitch of 31 inches for the former and 29.5 inches for the latter. In comparison, the AirAsia A320 seat pitch is 28 inches (pitch is the distance between the seat back to the back of the seat in the front).
The E195 is also fuel efficient, using up to 18% less fuel than the Airbus A320NEO, and at the same time is cheaper to operate overall. Lower maintenance, landing fees and even passenger costs mean the plane is cheaper to operate in the long run.
For eco-conscious travellers, the E195-E2 has a carbon footprint of only 60 grams of CO2 per pax km travelled – that is roughly 33% less than its peers. Not only that, but the plane is also remarkably silent while running when compared to its nearest competitor. One of our team members who was on the trip even managed to doze off while on the flight.
Two standout features of the E195-E2 – windows and passenger supply unit (PSU). The windows on the E195-E2 is larger than the A320 family, making the cabin look brighter and more spacious. The PSU on the E195 meanwhile is unique – it is one per seat, rather than one module shared across the row – this alone makes the seating experience much more comfortable.
Speaking of comfortable, the seats on the E195 is one of the more comfortable versions in the industry. The wide, 18.3-inch seat width contributes to this (compared to the about 16-17-inch you get on AirAsia!).
SKS Airways plans with the E195-E2
SKS Airways will be receiving 2 of the 10 ordered planes next January and will commence scheduled flights a couple of months later. The airline will also be launching something new related to the branding at the same time, but they were coy with details.
As for the destinations the airline will cover, they were not that forthcoming with details, as nothing has been approved by the government – but SKS Airlines plans to first cover domestic destinations and then go regional.
They also unofficially hinted that East Malaysia is also in the cards – so it is possible that direct flights to East Malaysia will be available from Subang once again.
The SKS source also said that their Embraer fleet will have WiFi available to all as in-seat entertainment screens will not be installed – something like the system that Malaysia Airlines just rolled out recently with their refreshed cabin.
