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 monoplane, available as a 19-passenger regional airliner, a cargo variant that can carry three LD3 unit load devices, and a combi version with 9 passenger seats and a rear-cabin cargo area.
The non-pressurized design is built from aluminum and is equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engines and fixed landing gear. 
The  MTOW airplane can cruise up to , with a range of  with 19 passengers.

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 , 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  of payload, featuring a "large cargo door and a flat floor cabin". Its cruise speed is up to , with a maximum range of . Single-point refueling will speed turnarounds.

The aircraft was designed to offer better cabin flexibility, 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  tall and wide, with a flat floor and an  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 46 model 408s were registered in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration. 13 SkyCouriers were delivered during 2024.

Variants
 Freighter
 Version to carry cargo including three LD3 containers. A roller mat floor is optional.

 Passenger
 Version with passenger windows, can be fitted with 19 passenger seats, with a baggage compartment at the rear of the cabin. It has a built-in rear airstair and three under-wing emergency exits. Optionally, seats can be fitted which are quickly removable to allow conversion to carry freight, for example for overnight cargo operations.

 Combi
This is an option for the passenger version which enables nine passengers to be accommodated at the front of the cabin and freight to be loaded at the rear. It gained US FAA certification in May 2024 and the first example was delivered to Everts Air two months later.

Operators
Bering Air – Two freighter variants delivered .
Corporate Air – Operating freighter variants on behalf of FedEx Express
Empire Airlines – Operating freighter variants on behalf of FedEx Express. Five aircraft delivered .
Everts Air – Operatng one freighter and one combi .
FedEx Express – Launch customer, 50 ordered. First delivery May 2022, 16 delivered .
Kamaka Air (Hawaii) – One freighter aircraft delivered , plus a further example on order.
Mountain Air Cargo – First freighter operator, on behalf of FedEx Express.
Samaritan's Purse – One combi version delivered to Alaska in October 2024
Western Aircraft, Inc. doing business in Hawaii as Lāna’i Air – First passenger operator.

Orders
Aerus – Two passenger variants on order .
Air Bravo (Canadian operator) – One freighter variant on order 
Air Marshall Islands – Two passenger variants ordered in November 2024
Hinterland Aviation – Two passenger variants ordered in February 2024.

Specifications

See also

References

External links

 

SkyCourier
T-tail aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 2020
Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear
2020s United States civil utility aircraft