Scenic Air, an operator based at Windhoek in Namibia, has taken delivery of a Quest Kodiak. The delivery was carried out by SkyQuest Africa, the OEM's authorised sales representative for Africa.

“There is great market potential for the Kodiak in Africa,” says Steve Zinda, vp sales and marketing for Quest Aircraft. “This is the seventh Kodiak in operation on the continent and with its versatility, reliability and performance capabilities, we expect to see more in service in the near future.”

Scenic Air will operate the aircraft to transport passengers on routes to and from the many safari lodges of Namibia. It will also be used for sightseeing flights over the Namibian landscape.

“I would also like to thank Scenic Air for being the first Kodiak operator in Namibia,” Zinda continues. “We find that once one of our aircraft is seen in operation, it boosts our sales and marketing efforts in that region. We are confident it will be an asset to Scenic Air's operation, and also look forward to more of the type flying in Namibia and other African countries.”

The Kodiak has excellent STOL performance and high useful load. It offers proven turbine reliability can land and take off from unpaved runways, and is capable of working off floats without structural upgrades. The aircraft can take off in under 1,000 feet at full gross take-off weight of 7,255 lbs and climb at 1,300 feet per minute. So far it is being utilised for personal use, charter operations, government, and humanitarian organisations.