FedEx Express is upgrading the avionics and ice protection systems on its fleet of 250 Cessna 208 Caravans, the company announced Wednesday. Garmin, of Olathe, Kan., will supply its G600 avionics suite, and CAV Aerospace, of Salina, Kan., will provide its TKS Ice Protection System. Yingling Aviation, of Wichita, Kan., will perform the installations.
Yingling said it expects to install the TKS system and G600 avionics at a ramp up rate of 50 aircraft per year. Cessna and Garmin will provide technical support. No details on contract value were released, but Yingling said it would add up to 30 employees to its work force for the contract.
“The G600 is an ideal cockpit for FedEx Express because it’ll give them the advantages of an all-glass Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multifunctional Display (MFD) with industry-leading features like Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) and SafeTaxi,” said Garmin Vice President of Marketing Gary Kelley.