Cessna’s SkyCourier Landed Its First Airline Customer Just Seven Months After FedEx Took Delivery

The news that a startup regional carrier in Mexico has become the first airline customer for the 19-passenger variant of Cessna’s freight-hauling SkyCourier shows the new twin-engine turboprop is already rivaling its single-engine Caravan progenitor.

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took delivery of its first SkyCourier freighter back in May and earlier this week Cessna parent, Textron Aviation, announced that Aerus, will launch its fleet with the purchase of two passenger configured SkyCouriers and four Cessna Grand Caravan EXs.

Aerus (formally, Aerotransportes Rafilher S.A. de C.V) is backed by Mexican automotive manufacturer/retailer, Grupo Herrera. The company has operated since the early 1990s as an air taxi service but is undergoing certification for approval as a scheduled Part 121 carrier. Aerus is aiming to launch airline operations in the first quarter of 2023 underpinned by a $98 million investment from Grupo Herrera.

The airline will begin operations in northeastern Mexico with a route network that will eventually spread across the country and to international destinations according to its CEO, Javier Herrera. Cessna spokesperson, Keturah Austin, confirmed that Aerus’ SkyCourier order is the first by an airline though the manufacturer has booked other orders from unspecified customers.

A quartet of Grand Caravans, three of which have already been delivered, is part of the new carrier’s mix, a reminder to the market that the Caravan’s run is far from done. That said, the announcement that the larger SkyCourier has managed to snag an airline customer so early in its production run is appealingly synchronous from a market historical standpoint.

The first Caravans for FedEx were delivered in 1985. Less well remembered – indeed a nugget that Textron had to dig around to turn up – is the fact that like the SkyCourier, the Caravan also landed an airline order in its first year of production. In 1985, Anchorage, Alaska-based regional airline, MarkAir, took delivery of the first of several Caravans.

Much like Aerus’ plans, MarkAir began with short-haul routes within Alaska before branching out to the Lower 48 in the early 1990s. Aerus will enjoy the benefits of tailoring operations with both short field-capable Cessnas, logically dedicating the SkyCouriers to its higher density routes.

“When we looked at options within the market to operate the routes we had in mind, it was a no-brainer decision to choose the Grand Caravan EX and the SkyCourier from Textron Aviation, which will be the cornerstone of the Aerus project,” Javier Herrera explained.

Textron did not disclose the terms of the deal or specific SkyCourier pricing but it’s reasonable to surmise that Aerus got a good deal as the first airline client for the aircraft. With orders now straddling both the air freight and air transport sectors, expect more news in 2023 of further SkyCourier orders from customers in other segments from fleet & tour operators to military and government clients.

It’s a good start for the SkyCourier which has big shoes to fill and as Aerus illustrates, will probably fill them in tandem with Caravans/Grand Caravans on the same flight lines for years come.