3,000th Cessna Caravan Delivered

Textron Aviation delivered the 3,000th Cessna Caravan family turboprop last week during ceremony at its Independence, Kansas, location. The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan EX, went to Azul Airlines subsidiary Azul Conecta. It will be based in São Paulo, Brazil, and used to carry passengers to and “from smaller cities and remote locations” throughout the country.

“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, Textron Aviation senior vice president of sales and flight operations. “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.”

Four Caravan single-engine utility turboprop models are currently in production including the 208 Caravan, the 208B Grand Caravan EX, the Caravan Amphibian and the Grand Caravan EX Amphibian. The first Caravan model, the 208, received its FAA type certification in 1984 followed by the freight-specific 208B Super Cargomaster in 1986. The first production 208B Grand Caravan was delivered in 1990.