Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a Christian agency which brings aid to impoverished countries, has bought another Caravan I 208-STAND. The European base for the charity in Kent, England bought the aircraft. The purchase was funded by a single English donor and has already arrived at its base in Kenya.

“It will fly quite regularly to south Sudan taking both aid and development workers. The supplies carried can vary from medical and building materials to fuel,” said media manager Kate Allen.

MAF works in 28 countries, specifically Chad, Kenya, Madagascar, Mongolia, Tanzania, Uganda and Bangladesh. “We have a varied fleet including Caravans, Cessna 206s, Cessna 210s, but recently there have been an increasing number of Caravans added.

“It generally seems to suit our requirements particularly as it can land on the same airstrips as the 206, while carrying much more cargo. Largely it’s teams of aid workers, development workers and church workers who are being transported,” said Allen.

At each main base MAF has a hangar along with a qualified engineering team. “In Nairobi our base is at Wilson Airport. We do all our own maintenance as well as some for other organisations, which allows us to bring in extra income. Aircraft are added at each base depending upon the need within each individual country and the work we are required to do. We then make judgements on how many and what kind of aircraft are most suitable,” she said.