Skyward Escape - Google Pixel Tough Case

Skyward Escape captures an Embraer E190 in Air France colours climbing out after take-off, set against a soft blue sky scattered with white cloud.

This is an original Marqforde photograph, taken at Manchester Airport moments after the jet left the runway, with the watercolour sky doing the rest.

About the aircraft

The E190 first flew on 12 March 2004 as a stretched member of Embraer's E-Jet family, built at São José dos Campos in Brazil. Two General Electric CF34-10E turbofans of 20,360 lb thrust power it, and the double-bubble cabin seats four abreast.

Air France's E190s arrived through its regional subsidiary Régional, which ordered six in September 2005 and became Europe's first E190 operator on 23 November 2006. Régional later merged with Brit Air and Airlinair to form Hop, which flies them under Air France's brand and flight code.

Rather than shrinking, the fleet has grown: Hop added second-hand E190s, including an ex-KLM Cityhopper jet in 2024, to reach 27 by the end of 2025. A lighter Expliseat cabin, built in Angers, entered service in September 2025, with all E190s due for it by summer 2026.

Quick facts

• Aircraft: Embraer E190LR, twin-engined regional jet of the E-Jet family
• Role: domestic and European short-haul flying under the Air France brand
• Powerplant: two General Electric CF34-10E turbofans, 20,360 lb thrust each
• Operator: Air France Hop, Air France's regional subsidiary
• Fleet: 27 E190s and 12 E170s at 31 December 2025, with four E190s added that year
• Photo context: climbing away after take-off from Manchester Airport