Technical and maintenance
A GPS fault grounds Embraer E2 jets worldwide, Azul hit hardest
A GPS reception fault on Embraer E190-E2 and E195-E2 jets grounded roughly forty three of Azul's aircraft in Brazil and disrupted several other operators worldwide, with Embraer and Honeywell still investigating the cause.
A GPS signal reception fault disrupted Embraer E190-E2 and E195-E2 operations worldwide on 22 September 2026, most visibly at Azul Linhas Aéreas in Brazil, where roughly 43 aircraft were grounded for about three hours.
Azul found the fault building up from around 17:30 local time on Tuesday evening and pulled most of its E195-E2 fleet from dispatch, including two aircraft that were already airborne. The first flight resumed from Viracopos airport at 21:49, after cancellations and delays rippled through the carrier's schedule.
Embraer confirmed it had received similar reports from other E2 operators, including KLM Cityhopper, Binter, Helvetic and Mexicana, while E190-E2 and E195-E2 fleets elsewhere in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania kept flying without interruption.
The fault sits in the GPS reception of the Honeywell Primus Epic 2 avionics suite fitted to both variants, which covers roughly 200 aircraft across 24 airlines. It appears to strike when an aircraft is powered up on the ground ahead of dispatch. A system reset restores the signal, but the fault can recur and block a flight from being released.
In plain terms
Primus Epic 2 is the avionics suite, the flight deck computers and displays, that handles navigation on the E190-E2 and E195-E2. A GPS reception fault does not mean the aircraft cannot be flown safely, since crews have other ways to navigate, but it can stop dispatch until it clears.
Embraer said flight safety is not affected and that the aircraft's other navigation systems and procedures cover a GPS instability. Embraer and Honeywell have opened a joint investigation. As of 23 September neither company had published a confirmed root cause, and no Airworthiness Directive had been issued by ANAC, the FAA or EASA.
Sources
- FlightGlobal, "Embraer works to understand GPS 'instability' issue with E2-family jets", 22 September 2026. https://www.flightglobal.com/ops-safety/2026/09/embraer-works-to-understand-gps-instability-issue-with-e2-family-jets/
- Air Data News, "GPS problem halts Azul's Embraer E2 flights for nearly three hours", 22 September 2026. https://www.airdatanews.com/gps-problem-halts-azuls-embraer-e2-flights-for-nearly-three-hours/
- Simple Flying, "Embraer Opens Crisis Room As Global E2 GPS Failure Forces Airlines To Cancel Flights", 22 September 2026. https://simpleflying.com/embraer-e2-gps-failure-crisis-room-airlines-cancel-flights/
- Aviacionline, "GPS failure on Embraer E2 jets disrupts operators' flight schedules", 23 September 2026. https://www.aviacionline.com/english/manufacturers-mro/gps-failure-on-embraer-e2-jets-disrupts-operators-flight-schedules_a6ab327699606ad8515dd4578