Wichita, KS - January 24, 2005 - Cessna's Caravan fleet in Russia and Spain will experience growth early in 2005.
Beginning in April 2005, Cessna will deliver four Super Cargomasters to a new cargo company based in Madrid, Spain. The newly formed scheduled cargo service will transport cargo between Madrid and key financial business centers in Spain. This marks the first time the company has owned and operated an aircraft.
Mark Bloomfield of MB Aviation, Cessna's Authorized Sales Representative for Spain, played a key role in securing this sale.
"We've had the privilege of working with this customer and his business from the beginning. His solid business plan indicates they will use the Super Cargomasters similar to established Caravan cargo-haulers in the United States," said Pana Poulios, Cessna regional sales manager.
Cessna will deliver a Grand Caravan with an Oasis interior in March 2005 to an established company in Russia. The aircraft will be based in Moscow, and will be used to fly company personnel to and from outlying facilities, which are generally within a 600-mile radius from Moscow.
"This is the first Oasis Grand Caravan to be based in Russia," said Poulios. "One of the driving forces behind the customer's decision to purchase the Oasis Grand Caravan was because of the positive feedback he has heard from other Caravan operators. The Grand Caravan has always been an economical way to transport people, and now that we're offering the luxury Oasis interior we're seeing more orders for corporate transportation."
Loyd's Investments, Cessna's Authorized Sales Representative for Russia, was instrumental in this sale.
With over 1,400 Caravans successfully operating in a variety of missions worldwide, the Caravan's wide performance envelope is legendary. The interior can be configured in a variety of ways to accommodate specific mission requirements. The most frequent Caravan payload consists of people, freight or a combination of both. The Caravan was first introduced in 1985, and was originally designed to provide commercial operators such as Federal Express with a more efficient way to transport cargo. Today, the Caravan fleet logs over 30,000 hours per month and has exceeded 7 million flight hours. This sure thing from Cessna has repeatedly proven the value of its simple and robust design, reliable systems and safe and forgiving flight characteristics.
Cessna Aircraft Company is a subsidiary of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT). Textron is a $10 billion multi-industry company with more than 43,000 employees in 40 countries. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO and Greenlee, among others. More information is available at www.textron.com. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
For additional information or questions about the general aviation industry, contact the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) at 202-393-1500 or www.GAMA.aero.