Will Replace Older, Avgas-Powered XP Models

Ethiopian Airlines and Africair, Inc., Cessna Aircraft Company’s authorized representative for Ethiopia, announced this week a contract for 10 new turbo-diesel Skyhawks at the 2007 Dubai Air Show.

Introduced last month at AOPA Expo 2007, the Cessna Skyhawk TD (turbo diesel) is a new variant of the erstwhile 172. The Skyhawk TD is powered by a 155 horsepower Centurion 2.0 diesel engine manufactured by Germany’s Thielert Aircraft Engines Gmbh. The engine burns JetA-1 fuel, making it a popular option in countries where avgas is scarce.

The Skyhawk TD was selected by Ethiopian Airlines to replace its current training fleet of 10 Cessna 172XPs.

Ethiopian Airlines lauded the Skyhawk TD as a more economical aircraft that, along with the standard Garmin G1000 avionics suite, made it the logical choice for the modernization of its fleet.

"These aircraft will be used in ab-initio airline training and represent the first fleet of the new Skyhawk TDs ordered by a major airline training school. We feel that the early acceptance of this aircraft in the training market is the beginning of a trend we are confident will continue to spread throughout the world," said Bob Gibbs, Cessna’s director of International Propeller Aircraft Sales.

Established in 1964, Ethiopian Airlines’ Pilot Training School, based in Addis Ababa, is one of the premier training organizations in Africa. Africair, Inc. is the Cessna distributor for 41 countries in Africa and has been selling and supporting the full range of Cessna products in Africa since 1968.

FMI: www.cessna.com