More than four years since first announcing the deal, the arrival date for FedEx's first Cessna SkyCourier 408 aircraft is fast approaching. The global freight giant ordered 50 of the planes in November 2017 with options for 50 more. After delays and pushbacks, the first three SkyCouriers will arrive at FedEx by the end of May.

FedEx signed on as the launch customer for the small plane assembled by Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kansas. With a flat floor cabin sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with a maximum payload capability of 6,000 pounds, the SkyCouriers will fly into markets too small for direct FedEx Express air linehaul services.

“These aircraft purchases are part of our long-term feeder fleet strategy,” said Greg Hall, Executive Vice President of Air Operations at FedEx Express.

The aircraft will have a maximum cruise speed of up to 230 miles (370 kilometers) per hour with a 1,035 mile (1,665 kilometer) maximum range.

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SkyCourier sees FedEx boost its turboprop capabilities

The SkyCouriers will complement FedEx's fleet of much larger Boeing 777s, B767s and B757s, MD11s, MD10s, Airbus 300s, Airbus 310s, and ATR 600s. FedEx and its contract carriers already make good use of small planes from the Cessna Caravan family. The nimble aircraft are well suited for short hops from bigger airports to smaller airports.

Those single-engine planes are the lifeblood of FedEx's feeder services. More recently, by introducing the twin-engine ATRs and now the SkyCourier, FedEx is increasing its investment in turboprop services while boosting capacity and generating efficiencies.

Many turboprops must be bulk loaded by hand. But the SkyCourier can carry pre-packed FedEx LD3 containers that can quickly slide in and out. That minimizes turnaround times at airports. The nifty plane offers FedEx some other, less obvious advantages as well.

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Unusually for a turboprop plane, the SkyCourier can accommodate pre-packed containers. Photo: Textron Aviation

A perfect training plane for new pilots

Jody Prior, a Captain for Captain at Empire Airlines who operates as a FedEx contract carrier, calls the SkyCourier an incredible new plane.

"It's going to be a single pilot, twin-engine plane carrying cargo. It's saying something that the cargo industry is able to develop their very own planes," she told a recent All Things Aviation and Aerospace podcast.

In addition to bolstering FedEx's network, these smaller single-pilot planes are nurseries for up-and-coming pilots. Captain Prior says she believes the plan is for the SkyCourier to have room in the cockpit for another pilot.

"It would allow for a lot of lower-hour pilots to be able to get in the aeroplane and start building hours," she said. "You do what you've got to do to build hours."

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Smaller aircraft like the SkyCourier offer new pilots valuable opportunities to clock up flying hours. Photo: Textron Aviation

Benefits for FedEx

For big operators like FedEx, the opportunity to bring pilots through the ranks starting at the base level offers a competitive advantage. As capacity returns to the US market and with many pilots having recently left the airline industry, many aviation experts predict a looming pilot shortage.

"Thanks to a collaborative training program we are planning, we will create a reliable pipeline of well-qualified pilot applicants for FedEx Express pilot jobs, leveraging the experience they will gain in our feeder system," said Mr Hall.

After the first three SkyCourier deliveries, FedEx plans on taking 12 of the planes every financial year for three years. That will see 39 of the aircraft flying for FedEx by September 30, 2025. The freight company will take the last 11 SkyCouriers between then and September 30, 2026. There is no word yet whether FedEx will exercise its SkyCourier options.