MAF Orders Five Textron Aviation’s Cessna Caravan 208 Turboprops To Enhance Humanitarian Efforts

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Officials from Textron Aviation and Mission Aviation Fellowship pose in front of a Cessna Caravan aircraft. MAF recently placed an order for five Cessna Caravan 208 aircraft with an option for two more to enhance its humanitarian efforts in Papua New Guinea. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

Mission Aviation Fellowship International, an organization that delivers humanitarian aid to rough-terrain destinations and remote locations, has ordered five Cessna Caravan 208 turboprop aircraft from Textron Aviation to bolster its operations in PNG (Papua New Guinea). The investment marks the single largest ever for MAF, which also has an option to purchase two additional aircraft from Textron Aviation, which is a company of Textron, owner of the Bell, Beechcraft, Hawker, and Lycoming brands. Beyond humanitarian purposes, Cessna Caravans are designed for VIP transport services, flight training, recreational use, commuter airline services, and cargo carriers.

All Caravan

Broadly, MAF delivers mission workers, development specialists, medicine, doctors, educational support, spirituality services and support, food, and other materials and resources to communities in remote locations. MAF has served PNG since 1951, and in the last 10 years, it has expanded its Cessna Caravan operations such that Caravans operate into 95% of 230-plus remote bush airstrips MAF uses, with many of those located on mountain ridges. MAF already had three Cessna Caravans operating in PNG and is reportedly transitioning to an all-Caravan fleet.

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Cessna Caravan. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

In a statement, William Nicol, aviation director of MAF International, said moving to an all-Caravan fleet will result in significant gains in reliability and mission impact. “The Caravan provides capability that ensures an effective, efficient, and sustainable operation — a critical consideration when operating with limited infrastructure in challenging conditions, where remote access often becomes a matter of life and death,” he said.

Air Service Access

Textron Aviation has delivered 250,000-plus aircraft to more than 143 countries overall, and more than 2,600 Cessna Caravans are certified in 100 countries. With a maximum range of 1,070 nautical miles (1,982 kilometers), the Caravan is powered by a 675-horsepower PT6A-114A turbine engine, seats up to 14 passengers, supports a useful load of 3,305 pounds (1,499 kilograms), and has a maximum cruise speed of 186 KTAS (344 km/h).

In a news release, Textron Aviation and MAF noted that 85% of the people living in PNG reside in rural areas and rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. A poor countrywide road network means overland travel is long and often dangerous, and effectively, communities are “locked” behind jungles, mountains, and/or swamps,” making access to basic health care and education and operating a wider economy difficult. “Access to an air service provides options and opportunities to change these circumstances,” the companies state. “MAF’s new Caravan turboprops are a means through which hope and development can be provided for these isolated men, women, and children.”

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Cessna Caravan interior. (Photo courtesy of Textron Aviation.)

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Source: Textron Aviation

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