Australian Corporate Jet Centres (Melbourne Essendon) has signed an agreement to operate two E190-E2s, owner Sam Iliades announced in a LinkedIn post. The aircraft are scheduled to enter service in April 2026, pending approval from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Iliades told ch-aviation the E190-E2s will feature a three-class, 96-seat layout spanning economy, business, and premium cabins. “The aircraft will be available for short and long-term wet-lease opportunities, fly-in fly-out (FIFO), and large group movements,” he said.

ACJC currently operates two 50-seat E145s deployed on group charters within Australia, namely VH-JGR (msn 145307), added in late 2020, and VH-JGS (msn 145381), inducted in early 2022. The Embraer pair, averaging 25 years old, are based at Melbourne Essendon and Brisbane International, respectively, according to ACJC's website.

Iliades confirmed the E190-E2 introduction is not intended as a replacement for the E145s. “Our view is to expand the E145 fleet, while the E190-E2 provides a longer-range, higher-capacity platform that is modern, efficient, and economical for our customers,” he said.

Beyond group travel, ACJC operates a fleet of executive jets, comprising a Challenger 604, two Global Express aircraft (one registered in the United States), a Citation I/SP, a Citation Encore added earlier this year, two Citation Sovereigns, and a Hawker 800XPi inducted in late 2024. The carrier's fleet further comprises a PA-31 Piper (twin piston), a Beech (twin piston) 58, and a newly added TBM-700.

Only two E190-E2s are currently registered in Australia, including one delivered to Virgin Australia Regional in September and placed into service in late October, and another stored at Brisbane International since April 21, 2024. The latter was to be operated by Pionair Australia on behalf of Air Kiribati (a deal that never began, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and is now registered to ASL Airlines Australia.