Alaska Air Group and its subsidiary Horizon Air are set to receive nine new E175 jets from Embraer.

The Embraer 175 is designed for short to mid-range flights to offer flexible seat configuration to enable customisation, depending on market demand.

Based on current list prices, the order is valued at $449.1m and will be included in Embraer’s second-quarter backlog.

The Brazilian aerospace conglomerate will deliver the 76-seat aircraft in Alaska’s livery and three-class configuration, starting next year.

Under a capacity purchase agreement (CPA), the E175 aircraft will fly exclusively with Alaska Airlines.

The group currently owns 62 Embraer E175 aircraft in their fleet, which is operated by Horizon Air and regional carrier SkyWest Airlines.

Alaska Airlines fleet, finance and alliances senior vice-president Nat Pieper said: “We have navigated through the pandemic and we’re on a solid path to recovery. The E175 remains a key part of our strategy.

“We’re excited about the growth in the years ahead, which has always been at the heart of Alaska’s DNA. The E175 is a terrific plane to help us add new routes and frequencies, and to complement our mainline aircraft to meet fluctuating demand with the right capacity.”

In a separate development, Embraer also agreed to deliver eight new E175 jets to SkyWest, for operation with Alaska Airlines.

The order is valued at $399.2m based on listed prices. It will complement the 32 E175 aircraft SkyWest already operates for Alaska.

Embraer has so far delivered 588 E175s to US and Canadian carriers across Canada, the USA, Mexico, and Central America.