Textron Aviation’s Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprops to support charter, cargo and logistic services in Botswana

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 2017-Nov-15 — /Travel PR News/ — Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced at Dubai Airshow that it is has begun delivery to Tuareg Aviation Ltd for 10 Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprops. The aircraft will be operated by Mack Air (Pty) Ltd to provide charter, cargo and logistic services between a network of independently owned bush safari lodges in the popular Okavango Delta and Kalahari Plains regions of Botswana. The aircraft will partially replace Mack Air’s current fleet, which currently also includes Grand Caravan turboprops. 

“The Caravan platform continues to prove its incredible performance and reliability in challenging environments,” said Lannie O’Bannion, vice president of sales, Africa. “An ideal platform for charter operators like Mack Air, the Caravan offers the performance and impressive cargo capabilities commuter operators desire while providing the comfort and cabin features passengers appreciate.”                       

“Our business relies on versatile aircraft that not only operate in harsh environments, but also transport our passengers comfortably, along with the necessary cargo required to sustain our clients’ safari lodges,” said Mike Weyl of Mack Air Charter. “The Caravan platform has served us well, and we look forward to enhancing our business with the reliable and modernized fleet of Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprops.” 

Textron Aviation’s South African based channel partner, Absolute Aviation, will provide maintenance support for the new aircraft at a new maintenance facility in Maun, Botswana. Absolute Aviation’s Maun facility is an addition to its existing aircraft parts business established earlier in 2017, and will include a hangar, aircraft engineers and management. 

About the Cessna Grand Caravan EX
The Cessna Caravan platform has seen more than 2,600 aircraft delivered that are certified in 100 countries with nearly 20 million flight hours amassed worldwide since the aircraft was introduced. Caravans fulfill roles for multiple missions, ranging from flight training to recreation, commuter airlines to VIP transport, cargo carriers and humanitarian missions. The Grand Caravan EX offers an impressive output of 867 horsepower and a rate of climb of 1,275 feet per minute. It was engineered for challenging missions, high payloads and short, rough runways, while providing single-engine economy and simplicity. 

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Cessna Grand Caravan EX 

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About Textron Aviation Inc.
Textron Aviation Inc. is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. For more than 90 years, the Textron Aviation brands have represented unrivaled innovation, performance and leadership in the industry, offering an unmatched value proposition rooted in the total ownership experience. Leveraging unparalleled speed-to-market, Textron Aviation provides the most versatile and comprehensive business and general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft and a complete global customer service organization. Textron Aviation has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 143 countries. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s most capable global service network. For more information, visit www.txtav.com. 

About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Off Road, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Textron Aviation

Textron Aviation Communications & Public Affairs
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