Story ID: 
Textron Marks Delivery of 3,000th Caravan
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: Azula Conecta bought the milestone airplane, a Cessna Grand Caravan EX.
Word Count: 211
Textron Aviation has delivered the 3,000th Cessna Caravan, the company announced today. The milestone aircraft—a Grand Caravan EX—was purchased by Azula Conecta, a subsidiary of Brazilian airline Azul, and will be based at Jundiai Airport in Sao Paulo.
Employees and representatives from Azul Conecta attended a ceremony at Textron Aviation’s plant in Independence, Kansas, to mark the delivery. “The Cessna Caravan’s versatility and reliability have made it the most popular aircraft in the utility turboprop category,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior v-p of sales and flight operations at Textron Aviation. 
Introduced by Cessna in 1985, the airplane offers low operating costs and—with a short-takeoff capability in mountainous terrain—is designed for rugged utility use in remote areas. Sales of the Caravan were also propelled by FedEx, whose initial order for 30 of the airplanes later swelled to 300.
“This Grand Caravan EX will proudly fly the Brazilian skies and connect our 158 destinations, many of which are made possible by the aircraft’s utility and flexibility,” said Flavio Costa, chief technical officer of Azul and president of Azul Conecta.