WICHITA, Kansas — With the delivery of a Cessna Grand Caravan EX to a Brazilian company in January 2023, Textron Aviation hit a milestone: The 3,000th Caravan delivered worldwide.
The milestone aircraft was delivered to Azul Conecta, a subsidiary of Azul Airlines based at the airport of Jundiai in São Paulo.
According to Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president of Sales and Flight Operations at Textron Aviation, over the past 37 years, the company has averaged delivering between 75 and 80 Caravans a year.
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, Textron Aviation officials explain.
There are four models of Cessna Caravan aircraft: The Caravan 208, the Grand Caravan EX 208B, the Caravan Amphibian, and the Grand Caravan EX Amphibian.
More Caravan 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