Textron Aviation Delivers 3,000th Cessna Caravan Family Aircraft to Brazilian Aviation Company

The Cessna Caravan and Cessna Grand Caravan EX are designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.

Textron Aviation employees and representatives from Azul Conecta celebrated this significant milestone with a special delivery ceremony at Textron Aviation’s location in Independence, Kansas.

“The Cessna Caravan’s versatility and reliability have made it the most popular aircraft in the utility turboprop category, with now 3,000 delivered globally,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Sales and Flight Operations at Textron Aviation. “I’m thankful to customers like Azul Conecta who continuously rely on the Caravan family of aircraft to fulfill their missions, deliver solutions and improve lives around the world.”

Conceived as a rugged utility aircraft with low operating costs, the Caravan was designed for use in remote areas with extreme weather changes, mountainous terrain and rough landing conditions. The aircraft’s versatility became renowned in all corners of the world, and the Caravan continues to see wide use in global markets by a variety of customers, including government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, air ambulance operators, freight haulers, corporations and humanitarian organizations.

“This Grand Caravan EX will proudly fly the Brazilian skies and connect our 158 destinations, many of which are made possible by the aircraft’s utility and flexibility,” said Flavio Costa, chief technical officer of Azul and president of Azul Conecta. “As a longtime Textron Aviation customer with a fleet of over 25 Cessna aircraft, we are happy to be a part of this important milestone.”

Customers can choose between four models of the Cessna Caravan aircraft to best fit their mission: the Caravan 208, the Grand Caravan EX 208B, the Caravan Amphibian and the Grand Caravan EX Amphibian.

Cessna Caravan program milestones

• 1981    Cessna launched the Caravan program

• 1982    First flight of Caravan 208 prototype

• 1984    Caravan 208 received FAA type certification

• 1985    Cessna began deliveries of the Caravan 208

• 1985    Caravan 208 approved for amphibious floats

• 1986    Caravan 208B Super Cargomaster, stretched by four feet in a freight specific configuration, received FAA type certification

• 1990    First production Grand Caravan 208B delivered

• 1998    Delivery of 1,000th production Caravan 208

• 1998    Cessna began deliveries of the new standard Caravan 208, a Caravan 208 that features a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A engine rated at 675 shaft horsepower

• 2002    Delivery of 1,000th Grand Caravan 208B

• 2005    Delivery of 1,500th production Cessna 208

• 2008    Garmin G1000 becomes standard avionics equipment

• 2008    TKS ice protection offered

• 2013    Cessna began deliveries of Grand Caravan EX 208B, featuring a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 engine rated at 867 shaft horsepower

• 2017   G1000 NXi becomes standard on Caravan and Grand Caravan EX

• 2022    3,000th Caravan, a Grand Caravan EX, delivered to Azul Conecta