Embraer Draws First Blood In Regional Order Action By Rebecca Rayko, Associate Editor FARNBOROUGH, England – The first of the regional jet orders at Farnborough began today as Continental Express announced it is exercising options for 25 Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets. The airline repeated their performance at Farnborough 1996 when they became the U.S. launch customer for the 145, taking an initial 25 firm planes, with 175 more on option. The 50-seat jets list at $15 million each, which values the order at $375 million at list. The order value is likely significantly discounted due to the number of aircraft ordered and the penchant for both Embraer and Bombardier to compete aggressively for business. Continental Express, which plans to transition to an all-jet fleet, previously announced its intention to retire its fleet of Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias and other turboprops by 2000. This order marks the third round of 25 ERJ-145s ordered by the regional arm of Continental Airlines. CoEx earlier this year was the launch customer of the smaller 37-seat version of the model ordering 25 last May. Mauricio Botelho, Embraer's colorful president and CEO, stated, "This additional order for 25 firm aircraft along with the recent ERJ-135 order by Continental Express proves the quality of our products and the Embraer Jet family concept. We solidified a relationship with Continental two years ago that has proven to be rewarding and successful for both companies." The total now stands at 75 ERJ-145s and 25 ERJ-135s, plus options for 175 additional ERJ-135/145s exercisable over 10 years.