SINGAPORE, February 11, 2014 — Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is anticipating heightened demand for business aviation in southeast Asia, the company said today at the Singapore Airshow.
Speaking at the show, which runs from February 11-16, Bill Harris, Cessna vice president of Sales for Asia and Asia Pacific, said: “As the global economy continues to recover, southeast Asia’s financial resilience and rising prosperity make it likely the business aviation market will mature at quite a rapid pace. Long-term forecasts for the economies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam are positive, which is extremely encouraging for aviation in general.”
Harris continued: “Not only are we seeing growing demand for our industry-leading Cessna Citation business jets in south-east Asia, we are also seeing strengthening demand for our single-engine piston and turboprop aircraft. For example, there are more than 60 Caravans operating in Indonesia and nearly 20 Caravans in Thailand. With the exciting launch of the Grand Caravan EX, we expect this demand to rise even further.”
Cessna’s Grand Caravan EX is engineered for challenging, rugged missions with high payloads and short, rough runways. This “high and hot” workhorse delivers 28 percent more horsepower than the original Grand Caravan, a 38 percent increase in rate of climb, a 106 meter (340 ft) reduction in takeoff distance and a 13-knot cruise speed improvement.
In order to support aircraft in southeast Asia, Cessna operates a joint service facility with sister company Bell Helicopter at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore. The facility covers 160,500 square feet in total and is equipped with facilities including a warehouse, overhaul and maintenance shops and offices.
