Air Kiribati (IK, Tarawa) is set to become an Embraer Regional Jet operator after the Government of Kiribati signed an agreement with Embraer (EMB, São José dos Campos Professor Urbano Ernesto Stumpf) for two firm-ordered E190-E2s with purchase rights for two more of the same type.
The jets are slated to deliver during 2019 and will enable the Central Pacific island carrier to operate longer domestic and international routes.
Air Kiribati currently operates two DHC-6-300s, two Y12s, and one Dash 8-100 on flights covering the I-Kiribati chain of islands as well as Funafuti in Tuvalu.
The Kiribati Ministry of Finance's November read-out states AUD20,783,398 Australian dollars (USD14,932,211) were allocated to the Embraer acquisition in the revised 2018 budget, presumably as a deposit. The government had previously planned to acquire an A320-200 for Air Kiribati using assistance from the Taiwanese government.
Under its Vision 2016-2036 plan, the Kiribati government plans to improve local mobility by lowering costs through improved domestic/regional island and international connectivity. The former has already been facilitated through the acquisition of the Q100 as well as the upgrading of various airfields across Kiribati. The latter will be undertaken through the Embraer purchase and the review and establishment of Air Service Agreements with certain countries within the Pacific and beyond.
