Having already taken a look at the Boeing and Airbus wide-bodies, it’s time we moved to something smaller. Regional aircraft come in all shapes and sizes, and there’s plenty of them flying, so it can be difficult to tell them apart. In this series, we take a look at some key features on aircraft which make them stand out visually, helping you to identify them with ease.
The Embraer ERJs
The ERJ family is Embraer’s first regional jet programme, and can be spotted by the aircraft’s nose. Unlike its competitor, Bombardier, who used the Challenger private jet as a basis of design for its regional jets, Embraer based its initial design off of the EMB-120 turboprop. This means that the ERJ series features Embraer’s iconic nose shape, with an elongated nose cone sticking out from the aircraft’s four cockpit windows.
Another key recognition point is the ERJ’s Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). This is right under the tail of the plane, and on an ERJ, the exhaust pipe sticks out slightly from the tail. The aircraft’s tail also looks very similar to that of the EMB-120 due to its influence on the design.
The ERJ family has three variants: The ERJ-135, ERJ-140 and ERJ-145. The only factor that differentiates them is size, which is quite hard to identify. The biggest visual difference is the number of windows between the emergency exit and engines at the back. The smallest of the three, the ERJ-135, has 3, whilst the ERJ-140 has 4, and the ERJ-145 has 5.
The Embraer E-Jets
From the other regional aircraft families, these are perhaps the easiest to tell apart. This is because the Embraer E-Jets are the only regional aircraft to feature jet engines beneath the wing, with the rest having them next to the aircraft’s tail.
However, where the difficulty lies is separating each variant. The Embraer E170 and E175 are similar in length and are the shortest variants of the Embraer E-Jet Family. The key difference between the two lies in the wings, with the E175 having much larger wings than the E170. On the Embraer E170, the winglets are at 90 degrees to the wing, as opposed to the E175 which has them at 45 degrees.
The Embraer E190 and E195 are the longer variants of the Embraer E-Jet family. The E195 is almost 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) longer than the E190. This is very hard to notice, and so the difference which is easiest to recognize is that the Embraer E190 over-wing exit door is 11 windows from the front door, whereas on the E195 it’s 12.
The brand new E2
In 2013, Embraer introduced their E2 programme for the E-Jet family. These come with enhancements to efficiency by using different engines. Embraer also decided to have no winglets on the E2 series – a feature which is easy to spot.
There are currently two variants of the E2 series in service, with a third on the way. These are the E190-E2 and the E195-2. They can be identified by the number of emergency exits on each side above the wing, with the E190-E2 having only one, whilst the E195-E2 having a second.
The Bombardier CRJ-100 and -200
Unlike Embraer, who based the ERJ off of an existing passenger turboprop, Bombardier based its regional jets off of its existing business jet fleet. This is why the CRJ-100 and -200 are very similar in looks to the Bombardier Challenger 600 series. The only difference between Bombardier’s first and smallest regional jets, the CRJ-100 and CRJ-200, is the engines which they use, so the two are virtually impossible to tell apart. It’s these engines however, which make them stand out from Bombardier’s other CRJ variants.
Similarly to the ERJ series, all aircraft in the Bombardier CRJ family have engines that lie just below the tail. The CRJ-100 and -200 are the only CRJ aircraft to not feature exhaust cones at the back of their engines. These are short, sharp, conical pieces, and so their absence on the CRJ-100 and -200 makes the engines look like they have a wider back.
The Bombardier CRJ-700,-900 and -1000
The CRJ-700,-900 and -1000 all look very different and more modern compared to the first generation of Bombardier CRJs. This is most notably seen in the aircraft’s tail cone at the very back, which is pointed to allow for the APU exhaust. This isn’t the case on the CRJ-100, which has a blunter tail cone, based off the original Challenger 600 design.
To tell apart the Bombardier CRJ-700 from the other modern CRJ fleet, the key difference is the emergency exits. The CRJ-700 has one emergency exit which sits over the wing on either side of the aircraft. This contrasts the CRJ-900 and -1000 which are much longer, and so have two.
The CRJ-900 is much longer than the -700, so Bombardier added a tail skid to account for the threat of tail strikes. It is a small triangular-looking feature under the rear of the fuselage. Just next to this are two ventral fins, also unique to the CRJ-900 and -1000. These can sometimes be labeled as ventral strakes, and are designed to help recover the aircraft from a spin. They look like two long fins underneath the back of the aircraft. The only difference between the CRJ-900 and CRJ-1000 is length, with the CRJ-1000 being 2.9 meters (9.5 feet) longer.
The De Haviland Canada Dash 8
Also known as the Bombardier Q-Series, the Dash 8 is the most popular turboprop airliner in the world. It’s best known for its iconic landing gear, sticking out from underneath the wings instead of the fuselage.
The Dash 8 comes in four variants: The DHC-8 series -100,-200, -300 and -400. The smallest of these are the -100 and -200, which are identical aside from the -200 having updated engines. A noticeable feature to tell these variants apart from others are the emergency exits, which sit underneath the wings and inline with the engines. On the -300, the emergency exits lie behind the wings, accounting for it being slightly larger in size.
The largest and most common of the three variants, the Q-400, stands out due to its size. It’s 7 meters (22 feet) longer than the -300, allowing for an increased passenger capacity. If that’s not enough, the Q-400 has a small Bullet fairing on its tail. This looks like a small bullet-shaped piece, hence the name, sticking out at the front of the top of the aircraft’s tail. It’s designed to reduce drag caused by the intersection of the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.
The ATR Family
Most likely the only other large turboprop you’ll see in the skies, the ATR family is the Q-Series’ main competitor. Similarly to most aircraft manufactured by its largest shareholder, Airbus, ATR aircraft have six cockpit windows each. This can help to differentiate an ATR aircraft between a Bombardier one, which all have four cockpit windows. In addition to this, the ATR’s main landing gear stick out from the fuselage rather than the wings.
There are two main variants in the ATR family, the ATR 42 and ATR 72. The only external difference between them is size, with the ATR 72 being much larger. This is represented through number of windows, with the ATR 42 having six on either side behind the wing, and the ATR 72 having ten.
If you’re struggling to recognize a regional aircraft, whether it be an ERJ-135 or CRJ-1000, one thing’s for sure – Flightradar24 always has your back. Have you got any tips and tricks for telling apart the regional aircraft by sight? Let us know in the comments below.
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-300x148.jpg)
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
3 Responses
It might be mentioned that the CRJ was sold to Mitsubishi who promptly ceased production whereas the Embraer e-jets live on.
I’ve flown on a few of these and appreciate the “tour” very much. Extra “WOW” when I saw you were getting your career started!
Very interesting. Now I can tell them apart.