Contributor - South America

Cessna 208 Caravan and 208B Grand Caravan

Richard Pedicini

The Cessna Caravan market is growing in Brazil, Bob Gibbs, Textron Aviation's v-p of special mission&nbsp;sales, said this week at LABACE 2023. “There’s been a big uptick in [aeromedical] purchases, with Caravans bought by the fire department but used by the Ministry of Health,” he said. “All public safety purchases are long-cycle, but they all have to add aircraft eventually.”
The Brazilian market includes federal agencies, which need modern aircraft for surveillance. However, public safety purchases are done by state rather than local governments. “Some big cities could afford to have their own [aircraft], Gibbs said, “but depend on the state.”
Referring to airline Azul’s plans to expand scheduled service from 60 to 160 cities in Brazil, Gibbs affirmed, “A lot of that [will be] Caravans. The Brazilian investment in infrastructure has paid off. Safety has increased enormously in the Amazon with increased radar and communication coverage.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Gibbs, who has been selling aircraft to the Brazilian market for a quarter century, remembers a riskier Amazon region. “Twenty years ago, there was no radar control—all positions were self-reported,” he recalled. Even today, flying beyond daylight hours can be risky, he added, “because if Boa Vista is closed, your nearest alternate illuminated landing strip might be 300 miles away.”
Caravans have been used in Brazil for scheduled passenger transport at least since the early 1990s, with airline TAM being one of the early adopters. TAM Aviação Executivo is the Textron Aviation distributor responsible for sales of the Caravan in Brazil and displayed a Grand Caravan EX this week at LABACE.&nbsp;
“The Caravan isn’t just Brazilian,” Gibbs said. “We’ve had a couple of meetings with neighboring countries every year there’s a LABACE.”

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Making the Amazon Safe with Cessna Caravans

Brazil airlines bank on utility turboprop

Textron Aviation's special mission division is seeing a growing interest by airlines for the Cessna Caravan in Brazil.

Making the Amazon Safe with Caravans

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

ATR 72 aircraft performs pre-modification flight in Toulouse

Kepplair Starts Converting ATR 72 Into Water Bombers

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Only the piston aircraft segment posted a decline

GAMA: Bizjets, T-props, and Rotorcraft Deliveries Up

Hanneke Weitering

Two captains held the prototype 33 feet above the water for 30 seconds

Regent Flies Electric Seaglider with Crew for First Time

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Icing approval would open year-round service to northern communities

Horizon Begins Icing Tests for Cavorite X7 eVTOL

Kerry Lynch

Deal to close this year

Bombardier To Grow Manufacturing Capacity with MHICA Buy

David Donald

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

The two NATO allies will purchase seven of the tanker/transport aircraft

Spain and Poland Agree to Buy A330MRTT Tanker Transports

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

GE Aerospace has tested the GE9X, Leap 1A, Leap 1B, and more with the 747.

GE Aerospace Flies Boeing 747 To Test New Engine Tech

Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

LABACE 2023

In this article

Cessna 208 Caravan and 208B Grand Caravan

Textron Aviation

More In Aircraft