Cessna receives order from Mexican start-up Aerus

On 21 December 2022, Cessna announced it has received an order from new regional carrier Aerus from Mexico. The start-up placed an order for four Cessna 208 Grand Caravan EXs and two Cessna 408 SkyCouriers. Three of the Grand Caravan EXs have already been handed-over and Aerus is planning to launch flights out of Monterey in the first quarter of next year.

The order for the SkyCourier is the first order for Cessna for the passenger-version of the Cessna 408. So far, the manufacturer has logged 50 orders from FedEx and one from Gum Air of Surinam for the freighter-variant. FedEx also holds options on another 50 SkyCouriers.

The Cessna 408 SkyCourier took to the skies for the first time on 17 May 2020 and the first aircraft was delivered to FedEx on 9 May 2022. FedEx has outsourced the flying of the Cessna 408 to Mountain Air Cargo and Empire Airlines. In total, five SkyCouriers have been delivered so far.

Illustration by Cessna.