The twin-engine turboprop Cessna SkyCourier will operate in a paradisiacal and challenging place, the Marshall Islands, in the South Pacific.
Textron Aviation and AIR Marshall Islands (AMI) have reached an agreement for two passenger aircraft that will support travel throughout the communities within the 64-island archipelago.
“The Cessna SkyCourier is an excellent choice to support the mission of AIR Marshall Islands. With its low operating costs and maximum cabin flexibility, the SkyCourier is a real game-changer in regional connectivity,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Global Sales and Flight Operations, Textron Aviation. “This order is an excellent example of the SkyCourier’s unmatched capabilities for a variety of mission profiles, and also highlights Textron Aviation’s commitment to delivering innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the aviation industry.”
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AIR Marshall Islands is owned by the government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and is headquartered in Majuro, the country’s capital. The small airline operates just two DHC-8-100 turboprops from the single runway on the main atoll.
“AIR Marshall Islands is thrilled to add the Cessna SkyCourier to our fleet,” said Captain Albon Jelke, general manager & CEO of AIR Marshall Islands, Inc. “Our new SkyCouriers are perfectly designed to reach the remote atolls and islands, ensuring that essential air services are accessible to both our local communities and visitors.”
Nuclear Testing
The Marshall Islands gained independence in 1979 after having been under U.S. administration since 1947 following an agreement with the UN Security Council.
Three years earlier, the US Navy had invaded the archipelago after expelling the Japanese during World War II.
A sad episode in the history of the archipelago occurred between 1946 and 1958 when the United States carried out 67 nuclear tests in the region, including the first hydrogen bomb in history detonated on Enewetak Atoll in 1952.
