Textron Aviation’s Cessna SkyCourier received validation from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, extending the utility twin turboprop aircraft’s reach to remote areas of southeast Asia.
Plans call for delivery of the first SkyCourier in the region in the second half of 2025 to Leading Edge Air Services Corp. (Leascor). A subsidiary of ACDI Multipurpose Cooperative in the Philippines, Leascor opted for a 19-passenger variant of the aircraft.
“We are excited to connect underserved communities in the Philippines with the new 19-seat SkyCourier turboprop, which will complement our present fleet,” said ACDI MPC chairman Gilbert Llanto. “It will surely boost our business lines in tourism, agriculture and food, aviation, mobility, and the construction industry across the archipelago.”
Certified by the FAA in March 2022, the high-wing SkyCourier is offered in freighter and passenger variants, along with a combi configuration or gravel kits to enable missions to remote locations with lower operating costs. The 19-passenger variant features crew and passenger doors and large cabin windows, while the freighter variant can accommodate three LD3 shipping containers with 6,000 pounds of payload capability.
Powered by Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC engines with McCauley Propeller C779 110-inch aluminum four-blade propellers and Garmin G1000 NXi avionics, the SkyCourier has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 ktas and a 900 nm range.