Cessna 408 SkyCourier

The Cessna 408 SkyCourier is an American utility aircraft designed and built by the Cessna division of Textron Aviation.

It was launched on November 28, 2017, with an order for 50 from FedEx Express, with the aircraft designed for the needs of its FedEx Feeder service. It made its first flight on May 17, 2020, and was type certified on March 11, 2022. FedEx took delivery of the first production model on May 9, 2022.

The SkyCourier is a twin-turboprop, high-wing aircraft, available with a 19-passenger accommodation, or in a cargo variant sized for three LD3 sized unit load devices. The non-pressurized design is built from aluminum and is equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and fixed landing gear. The 19,000 lb MTOW airplane can cruise up to 210 knots, with a range of 386 nmi with 19 passengers. The passenger version is outfitted as a combi aircraft that can be rapidly converted to an all-freight configuration.

Development
The Model 408 was launched on November 28, 2017, by Textron Aviation, with an introduction planned for 2020, as a FAR Part 23 type certified design. Like the earlier Cessna 208 Caravan, the 408's design was developed with FedEx Express to match the needs of FedEx Feeder service; FedEx requested an aircraft that could haul 6000 lb, twice the payload of the 208, and could accommodate entire LD3 sized unit load devices.

FedEx Express was the launch customer, with an order of "50 cargo aircraft and options for 50 more". Its unit cost then was $5.5 million.

Initial wind tunnel tests were completed in March 2018. The first flight was originally planned for 2019 and first deliveries anticipated in 2020. FedEx initially planned to take monthly deliveries over four years starting in 2020, and a similar pace for a second batch, if it agrees to that option. A full-scale mockup of the 19-passenger cabin was displayed at the October 2018 National Business Aviation Association convention.

The mating of the wing and fuselage of the first aircraft was completed in December 2019. By March 2020, initial ground testing was completed, checking the fuel system, engines, avionics interfaces and electrical systems. The first flight was completed on May 17, 2020, operating from Beech Factory Airport for a 2-hour and 15-minute flight. The prototype aircraft, along with five additional flight and ground test articles, will be used for testing leading to certification. The second prototype, which first flew in August 2020, was the first production-conforming aircraft and was used for testing the engines, propellers, environmental controls and avionics. A third test aircraft first flew in September 2020.

In April 2021, the company anticipated that certification would be completed by year's end and initial deliveries would occur in spring/summer 2022. The SkyCourier made its first public appearance at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in 2021.

By early 2022, the three test aircraft had accumulated over 2,100 flight hours as the first production aircraft for FedEx was rolled out on February 3, 2022. Cessna was aiming for certification in the first half of the year before first delivery later in 2022. Federal Aviation Administration type certification was granted on March 11, 2022, after 2,100 hours of flight tests. Certification by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil was granted on August 8, 2023.

The first production aircraft was delivered to FedEx Express in May 2022. Mountain Air Cargo, which operates flights for FedEx, operated the first revenue flight of the type on January 3, 2023.

In February 2023, a gravel runway operations kit was approved for the aircraft. In 2023, its equipped price was $7.195M for the freighter and $7.745M for the passenger version.

The first 19-seat passenger variant was delivered in April 2023 for use by Western Aircraft, Inc. doing business in Hawaii as Lāna’i Air.

In 2024, the price was $8.35M for the passenger variant and $7.75M for the cargo variant.

Design
The SkyCourier is a twin-turboprop, high-wing, utility aircraft. It is available in a 19-passenger variant with large cabin windows and separate crew and passenger doors, or in a cargo variant sized for three LD3s and 6,000 lb of payload, featuring a "large cargo door and a flat floor cabin". Its cruise speed is up to 200 knots, with a maximum range of 900 nmi. Single-point refueling will speed turnarounds.

The aircraft was designed to offer better cabin flexibility and payload capability, superior performance and lower operating costs than its competitors; notably, the cabin was designed to accommodate heavier and bulkier cargo than comparable new aircraft. The airframe consists of traditional aluminum materials and is equipped with proven Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65 engines, fixed landing gear and Garmin G1000 avionics. The non-pressurized cabin is 70 in tall and wide, with a flat floor and an 87 in cargo door. The cabin of the passenger version is designed for quick conversion to a freight configuration; using patented quick-release fixtures, two people can remove the passenger seats and interior bulkheads in about one hour.

Operational history
, a total of 33 model 408s were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Operators

 * FedEx Express - Launch customer, 50 ordered. First delivery May 2022, 18 delivered.
 * Aerus - Two on order as of December 2022.
 * Mountain Air Cargo - First freighter operator. Eleven aircraft delivered as of January 2024.
 * Western Aircraft, Inc. doing business in Hawaii as Lāna’i Air - first passenger operator.
 * Bering Air - Two aircraft delivered as of January 2024.
 * Empire Airlines - Five aircraft delivered as of January 2024.
 * Everts Air - One aircraft delivered as of January 2024.
 * Kamaka Air - One aircraft delivered as of January 2024.