BermudAir to Become First E190F Operator in the Americas, Second Worldwide

BermudAir announced on September 16 that it will add a leased Embraer E190F freighter to its fleet, making it the first operator of the type in the Americas and only the second airline in the world to fly it commercially. The only other current operator is Malta-based Bridges Air Cargo, which flew the type's inaugural revenue flight on March 9, 2026, from Cologne, Germany to Larnaca, Cyprus.

The E190F is a passenger-to-freighter conversion of the Embraer E190 regional jet, which entered passenger service in 2004. Embraer launched the conversion program in March 2022 and performs the work at its facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, with more than 600 employees and over 40 suppliers involved. Structural modifications include a reinforced main-deck cargo floor, a large forward cargo door, a 9G rigid cockpit barrier, roller-track floor systems, and upgraded smoke detection and fire safety provisions, and the converted aircraft accommodates up to six standard unit load devices.

The aircraft has a maximum structural payload of 13,500 kilograms and a cargo volume of approximately 103 cubic meters. Range at maximum volumetric load reaches 2,590 nautical miles; at maximum structural payload, 2,010 nautical miles. Embraer states the E190F offers 40 percent more cargo volume than large turboprops, three times their range, and up to 30 percent lower operating costs than larger narrowbody freighters.

BermudAir's aircraft is leased from Regional One, a Miami, Florida-based aviation lessor that placed five firm orders for E190F conversions; two of those aircraft are already in service with Bridges Air Cargo, and BermudAir's will be the third to enter commercial operation. Bridges took delivery of its first E190F in August 2025 and its second in June 2026, both also leased through Regional One.

Founded in May 2023 by former investment banker Adam Scott, BermudAir launched commercial service on August 31, 2023, as the first locally established Bermudian airline in history, initially operating two Embraer E175s on routes to Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and Westchester County, New York. The carrier has since grown to four passenger aircraft — two E175s and two E190s — serving 10 destinations across the US East Coast, Canada, and the Caribbean, and in December 2025 launched AnguillAir, a sub-brand offering seasonal service from Anguilla to Baltimore, Boston, and Newark. Scott said in the announcement, "Cargo is a natural next step for us. We've built a reliable, right-sized operation connecting Bermuda and the Caribbean to North America, and the E190F lets us put that same network to work moving express cargo, supporting local businesses, e-commerce and time-sensitive freight across the islands we serve." Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said the selection "marks an important milestone for the E-Freighter programme as the aircraft enters service in North America and the Caribbean for the first time," and George Mamangakis, Regional One's Chief Investment Officer, described BermudAir as an "excellent partner to help showcase the versatility and value of the E-Freighter platform."

Bermuda has no road connections to the US East Coast, located 1,070 miles (1,722 km) to the west, and all time-sensitive cargo currently travels either as belly freight on passenger jets or via hub airports such as Miami or New York JFK. The E190F is intended to address that structural gap across Bermuda and the wider Caribbean, where BermudAir already operates passenger service to 10 destinations.

This deal shows how a passenger-to-freighter conversion program can create a new category of operator: a small regional passenger carrier adding a single dedicated freighter to move express cargo across the same thin routes it already flies, rather than competing on trunk lanes served by larger narrowbody freighters. With a maximum structural payload of 13,500 kilograms and range up to 2,590 nautical miles, the E190F is sized for exactly the Caribbean-to-US-East-Coast sectors where belly capacity on regional passenger jets is limited and larger freighters are not economical.

Regional One's role as lessor for all three E190Fs now in commercial service — two with Bridges Air Cargo and one with BermudAir — illustrates how conversion programs depend on lessors to place aircraft with carriers too small to buy outright. IATA projects global air cargo volumes reaching 71.6 million tonnes in 2026, up 2.4 percent from 2025, with revenues rising 2.1 percent to $158 billion, and e-commerce expected to reach 30 percent of total air cargo volume by 2027 from roughly 20 percent — growth that gives niche freighter types a demand base beyond the majors.

What happens next will depend on how quickly BermudAir's E190F enters revenue service and whether Regional One's remaining orders convert into further placements beyond Bridges Air Cargo and BermudAir.