But Pete Seidlitz, president of Washington-based aircraft reseller Bristol Associates, says the price generally is higher than that, and adds that Embraer recently stepped up its support for developing new markets for the aircraft.

Bristol, which still is involved in finding buyers for ERJ-145s once operated for Continental Airlines by ExpressJet, sold two last year to a South African airline that Seidlitz would not identify. He describes Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia as promising markets for the aircraft.

“There is a real band of pricing on the ERJ,” says Seidlitz, who describes the range in price as $3-7 million. A lot of that is based on age, he adds, with 1996 and 1997 models the toughest to move. The 1998 and 1999 aircraft are somewhat easier to place, he says, and selling those built in 2000-05 “get[s] a lot easier.”

Even with the newer aircraft, there are challenges. For example, most ERJ-145s delivered to U.S. airlines are not equipped for air stairs, which airports in some developing markets require. Also, Europe has different certification requirements than the U.S., so there is a cost to moving the aircraft to new markets.

Within the past year, Seidlitz says, Embraer “has gotten much more proactive in providing support and creating some liquidity in the market.” That includes a recent introductory meeting that Embraer hosted for operators in South Africa, and very active efforts in Russia.