Embraer ERJ 145

A long, pointed nose, a fuselage like a pencil and two engines way at the back: the Embraer ERJ 145 is one of those aircraft you no longer confuse after the first time – at least not with other manufacturers’ aircraft. The 50-seater was Embraer’s breakthrough in jets and shaped regional flying in the US and Europe around the turn of the millennium. In Europe the type has become rare today, but in North America it is still on the move every day. Here you learn how to recognize the ERJ 145, how the ER, LR and XR differ and where you can still get it in front of your lens.

What is the Embraer ERJ 145?

The ERJ 145 is a twinjet regional jet from Embraer and the base model of the ERJ family. From it came the shortened versions, the 44-seat ERJ 140 and the 37-seat ERJ 135. All three share cockpit, wing, engines and tail, and pilots fly them with a common type rating.

The story begins in 1989. Embraer wanted to develop a jet based on the successful turboprop EMB 120 Brasilia, project name EMB 145 “Amazon.” The first design looked quite different from the later aircraft: a stretched Brasilia fuselage with a straight wing and engines in nacelles above the wings. Over the following years Embraer reworked the design several times – first to swept wings with engines underneath, and finally, at the end of 1991, to the familiar layout with two rear-mounted engines and a T-tail.

The road was rocky. Cuts in the Brazilian state budget even forced Embraer to suspend development for half a year in 1990. To cover the costs, the manufacturer brought partners on board: Spain’s Gamesa built the wing, Chile’s ENAER the tail, and Belgium’s Sonaca fuselage parts, doors and engine pylons. The engines came from Rolls-Royce, which had taken over the former Allison AE 3007 powerplant.

On August 11, 1995 the ERJ 145 took off for the first time. US certification by the FAA followed on December 10, 1996, and in the same month the first aircraft went to the launch customer. In April 1997 ExpressJet, then the regional arm of Continental Airlines, started scheduled service.

Technology and cabin

The ERJ 145 is just under 30 meters long but strikingly narrow. In the cabin three passengers sit per row: a single seat on the left, a double seat on the right, with an aisle in between. Typically there are 50 seats; some operators have installed fewer. The passenger door at the front left has an integrated staircase – so the ERJ 145 also copes at airports without jet bridges or stair trucks.

It is powered by two Rolls-Royce AE 3007 engines hanging on the rear fuselage. Depending on the variant, different versions are used: the ER flew with the AE 3007A, the LR with the more powerful A1, the XR with the even stronger A1E. The XR reaches a maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.80, and the service ceiling is 37,000 ft. For regional routes that was a big leap over the turboprops the ERJ 145 replaced in many places.

The variants at a glance

Embraer offered the ERJ 145 in many sub-variants, which differ mainly in fuel capacity, takeoff weight and engine rating:

Variant	Special feature
ER (Extended Range)	Base version with 50 seats, launch customer ExpressJet
EU	Version with reduced maximum takeoff weight of just under 20 t
EP	somewhat higher takeoff weight, launch customer the British regional airline that last flew as bmi regional
LR (Long Range)	more fuel, more powerful AE 3007A1
LU	LR derivative with just under 22 t takeoff weight, launch customer Luxair
MP	upgraded ER with more payload
XR (Extra Long Range)	winglets, belly tank in the rear, AE 3007A1E, range up to about 3,700 km

From the outside the ER, EU, EP, LR, LU and MP are practically indistinguishable. Only the registration plus a database check helps here. The XR, on the other hand, you can recognize: it has winglets on the wingtips and an additional fuel tank under the rear fuselage. The launch customer here too was ExpressJet; today CommuteAir flies the XR in large numbers for United Express.

How to recognize the ERJ 145

You rarely mix up the ERJ 145 with other manufacturers’ aircraft once you have seen it a few times. The real challenge lies within the family. It is best to proceed in these steps:

The three scheduled-service versions compared:

Model	ICAO code	Length	Seats
ERJ 135	E135	about 26.3 m	up to 37
ERJ 140	E135 or E145 depending on source	about 28.5 m	up to 44
ERJ 145	E145	29.87 m	typically 50

Only about 1.4 meters separate the ERJ 140 and ERJ 145. Without a direct comparison that is barely visible to the naked eye – be honest with yourself here and rely on the registration. Besides its own family, there are other regional jets with a similar basic layout:

Mix-up	How to tell them apart
Embraer ERJ 135	about 3.5 m shorter, clearly less fuselage ahead of the wing
Embraer Legacy 600/650	short ERJ 135 fuselage with winglets, business jet livery
Bombardier CRJ200	shorter, rounder nose, four seats per row, winglets
Fokker 100	much thicker fuselage, five seats per row, blunter nose
Embraer E170	engines under the wings, wider fuselage with four seats per row

The classic competitor is the Canadian CRJ200. In the US the two often flew for the same network airlines, sometimes at the same gate. With its shorter nose and sturdier fuselage the CRJ looks clearly more compact. The article How to tell regional jets apart gives an overview of all the small jets, and Telling Embraer E-Jets apart covers the successor from the same house.

Operators in Europe: tracing the past

In Europe the ERJ 145 was a familiar sight in the late 1990s and 2000s. Many airlines used it to replace turboprops or older jets on thin routes. Well-known historical operators were:

• Crossair: the Swiss regional airline flew a total of 22 ERJ 145LUs from 2000. In 2002 they passed to the new Swiss – you may remember the slim jets at Zurich Airport.
• Luxair: launch customer of the LU variant and long at home with the ERJ 135 and ERJ 145 at Luxembourg Airport. Rising fuel costs made the small jets unattractive, and Luxair later went back to turboprops.
• Portugália: the regional subsidiary of the TAP group owned eight ERJ 145s. In 2016 the group replaced them, along with the Fokker 100s, with Embraer 190s and ATR 72-600s.
• LOT Polish Airlines: at times with up to 14 ERJ 145s one of the larger fleets in Europe, including from Warsaw Airport.
• British Regional Airlines flew the type for British Airways. bmi regional, launch customer of the EP version, used the ERJ 145 and ERJ 135 until its end in February 2019.

The best-known encore in Europe belongs to Loganair. The Scottish airline took over ERJ 145s from its sister company bmi regional from 2019; its main base is Glasgow Airport. According to current fleet overviews, around ten ERJ 145s with 49 seats were still flying there in spring 2026. Loganair, on the other hand, already retired the ERJ 135 in 2022. If you want to see an ERJ 145 in scheduled service in Europe, Loganair is one of the best candidates as of October 2026 – but check the current fleet first.

Military and government also use the type: the Belgian Air Component flew two ERJ 145s and two ERJ 135s from 2001 to 2020 for passenger and VIP transport, and the Greek air force operates an early warning version with a radar bar.

Operators today: focus on the US

Most active ERJ 145s fly in the US. As of October 2026 three operators matter most there:

Operator	Brand / use	Special feature
Piedmont Airlines	American Eagle	one of the largest active fleets, hubs Charlotte and Philadelphia, 50 seats
CommuteAir	United Express	scheduled fleet of ERJ 145XRs, focus on Houston and Washington Dulles
JSX	public charter	ERJ 145 and ERJ 135 with 30 seats each, handled at private terminals

Piedmont belongs to American Airlines and had just under 70 ERJ 145s in its fleet in mid-2025. CommuteAir has reportedly extended its United contract for the ERJ 145 until the end of 2028. CommuteAir’s XRs are an everyday sight at Washington Dulles Airport and in Houston. JSX flies its jets with generous seating from Las Vegas, Burbank and Dallas Love Field, among others.

Former major US operators were ExpressJet, which once flew the world’s largest ERJ 145 fleet for Continental and United, and American Eagle, today Envoy Air. In South Africa Airlink also used the ERJ 145 until 2018; today it flies the shorter ERJ 135 and ERJ 140 there.

Production in China is also interesting: from 2002 a joint venture with Harbin Aircraft Industry Group built the ERJ 145 locally. Over 40 aircraft were built there before the plant closed in 2016. All ERJ production ended in 2020.

Military derivatives

The ERJ 145’s slim fuselage was well suited as a platform for special missions. Several versions were created for the Brazilian Air Force:

• E-99 (EMB 145SA): airborne early warning aircraft with a large, flat radar antenna on the fuselage back
• R-99 (EMB 145RS): remote sensing and reconnaissance
• P-99 (EMB 145MP): maritime surveillance
• C-99A: transport version

Early warning versions also fly with the air forces of Greece and India. For spotters these aircraft are real highlights – the bar-shaped radar mount makes them unmistakable. The article Spotting rare aircraft gives more tips for such rarities.

Spotting tips for the ERJ 145

The ERJ 145 is small and slim. That affects your planning and your photos.

• Plan for focal length. At just under 30 meters long but with a very narrow fuselage, the ERJ 145 fills the frame less than a medium-haul jet. Which focal length makes sense is explained in the article Lenses for plane spotting.
• Choose a side view. Because fuselage length and wing position separate the family, side shots on approach or while taxiing are the most informative. On the XR, watch for the belly tank under the tail.
• Use tracking and alerts. Filter for E145 and check every result by registration. How to follow flight movements is covered in the guide to Flight tracking with ADS-B, and you set up notifications with the article Setting up alerts.
• Pick the right airport. In Washington you regularly see United Express and American Eagle regional jets – for example from Gravelly Point Park or around the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles. For JSX, Sunset Park at Las Vegas Airport is a good address.

Why the ERJ 145 mattered so much

For Embraer the ERJ 145 was a turning point. Before, the manufacturer was known mainly for turboprops like the Bandeirante and Brasilia; with the 50-seater it became a serious jet supplier. The experience and customer contacts from the ERJ program laid the foundation for the larger E-Jets such as the E175, which now replace many ERJ 145s.

At the same time the ERJ 145 shows the limits of small jets. A 50-seater is fast on short routes and popular with passengers, but the cost per seat is higher than on larger aircraft. With rising fuel prices, many European airlines therefore withdrew or switched to larger jets and economical turboprops. In the US, pilot contracts and the regional airline network kept the type alive longer.

Conclusion

The Embraer ERJ 145 is the jet with which Embraer became big: 50 seats, rear-mounted engines, a T-tail and a nose you don’t forget. In Europe it has disappeared from most fleets but can still be found with Loganair. In the US it remains part of everyday life with American Eagle, United Express and JSX. If you separate the family cleanly and recognize the XR by its winglets, you have this type under control.