Textron Aviation’s Special Olympics Airlift will bring athletes and coaches to the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota this week. The airlift will operate through St. Paul Downtown Airport Holman Field on June 19 and June 27.
Aircraft are expected to arrive or depart about every three minutes during the event. More than 100 volunteer Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft owners and pilots are expected to take part in the program, which will support athletes traveling to the Games from across the country.
“The Special Olympics Airlift is about creating an experience where athletes feel welcomed and celebrated from the moment they arrive,” Textron Aviation President and CEO Ron Draper said.
Signature Aviation was announced in April as the exclusive FBO sponsor for the 2026 airlift and will provide operational and hospitality support at 17 departure locations. Textron Aviation said a Signature hangar will serve as the Champion Center for arrivals and departures.
The 2026 USA Games run June 20-26 at the University of Minnesota and the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota.
This year’s airlift will also include a Boeing 777 provided through the Arizona Cardinals and Gridiron Air, the first widebody aircraft to participate in the event.
Since the airlift began in 1987, volunteer aircraft owners and pilots have transported more than 10,000 athletes and coaches to the Special Olympics USA Games.
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