Textron to deliver first medical Cessna SkyCourier within weeks

Textron Aviation expects to hand over the first air ambulance version of its Cessna SkyCourier within weeks, according to Bob Gibbs, the manufacturer's vice president of defence and special mission sales. Gibbs gave the revised timeline on 14 September at an Air & Space Forces Association conference near Washington DC.

Tassili Travail Aérien of Algeria will take two of the modified high-wing aircraft. The order was first announced in 2025. Gibbs said the medical fit is modular: operators can pull a few seats, drop a medical kit into the seat tracks, secure and connect it, and the aircraft becomes a medical platform.

The SkyCourier was first certified in 2022, designed as a flexible freighter with FedEx as launch customer. Textron has since developed variants that mix passengers and freight, or carry up to 19 passengers in an all-passenger layout.

Textron is also chasing defence logistics work, pitching the aircraft as a way to move equipment faster and with less risk. It has partnered with autonomy start-up Merlin Labs on an uncrewed version called SkyCourier UX. Gibbs said traditional logistics no longer works, pointing to disrupted supply routes and potential theatres without roads.

An announcement on the first military deliveries could also come within weeks, Textron executives say. The first defence order came from Belgium, where contractor Sabena Engineering agreed in April to buy five SkyCouriers.