Textron Aviation has launched the Cessna SkyCourier 408, a new twin engine, high wing utility turboprop. FedEx Express has signed on as the launch customer, with an initial fleet order of 50 cargo aircraft and options for 50 more. Entry into service for the clean-sheet design SkyCourier is planned for 2020.

“With our depth of expertise and proven success in new product development, we were eager to work directly with a world-class company like FedEx Express to jointly develop the Cessna SkyCourier,” says president and CEO Scott Ernest. “The aircraft will fill a gap in this market segment with its superior performance and low operating costs, in combination with the cabin flexibility, payload capability and efficiency that only a clean-sheet design can offer.”

The SkyCourier 408 will be offered in cargo and passenger variants. The cargo variant will feature a large cargo door and a flat floor cabin that is sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with 6,000 pounds of maximum payload capability. The aircraft will also be capable of a maximum cruise speed of 200 kts and a 900 nm maximum range.

The 19-passenger variant will include crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, as well as large cabin windows for natural light and views. Both configurations will offer single-point pressure refuelling to enable faster turnarounds.

EBAN had a discussion with senior VP of engineering Brad Thress, who explains the potential for the aircraft in EMEA: “The response has been tremendously positive so far, more positive than we anticipated,” he says. “We had several unsolicited calls the day we made the FedEx announcement and we had a lot of people calling to get on the list, just because it is such a good fit for their mission.

“The Caravan is used widely for passenger service in Africa and south Asia, so I would assume that the passenger version of the SkyCourier would have a similar take up. It will be in 19-seat passenger configuration and will also be able to land on unprepared strips, so I think it will have tremendous utility in out-of-the-way places, and be able to serve those routes very economically. From the freight side, it offers low operating costs for all the European carriers, and I think it will have a lot of appeal for that reason.”

A configuration is in development whereby the aircraft can be converted from passenger to cargo and seats can be rolled in on pallets in the cargo version. “The SkyCourier has a broad application for special missions, including medical and last minute equipment, and ground mapping too,” adds Thress. “It has 870 cubic feet of volume inside that you could use in a variety of ways. We are adapting its generators in case any of the equipment we transport requires power.”

The SkyCourier is twice as large as the Caravan and has two engines, so Thress says the types will serve different markets. “They are different enough in range and volume and I think they will coexist very nicely. We have no plans to change the Caravan. “We have had several new prospects come to us who are eager to get their hands on it as soon as they can. We have had a US operator approach us unsolicited, as well as a south Asian operator. There is a great deal of interest for short run missions in certain parts of the world.”