Kenya's Safarilink Aviation (F2, Nairobi Wilson) has bought its first Cessna (single turboprop) Caravan C208EX from Textron Aviation, which was delivered to the safari-focused operator at Nairobi Wilson after a week-long journey from Wichita Cessna Aircraft Field.
In social media posts, the airline said 5Y-SLR (msn 208B5845) was ferried via 12 stops, Rochester, MN and Bangor International (US), Goose Bay (Canada), Narsarsuaq (Greenland), Reykjavik Keflavik (Iceland), Wick (UK), Luxembourg, Belgrade Nikola Tesla (Serbia), Irakleion (Greece), Cairo Capital International (Egypt), Taif (Saudi Arabia), and Addis Ababa International (Ethiopia), before touching down at Nairobi Wilson on March 4.
Safarilink will use the aircraft on its routes to wilderness destinations such as the Maasai Mara game reserve, the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya, Nanyuki (the gateway to Mount Kenya and the Mount Kenya National Park), the Tsavo West National Park, and Naivasha on the shores of Lake Naivasha.
The Grand Caravan EX is an upgraded version of the Cessna Caravan 208B, of which Safarilink already operates eight, according to the airline's website. Safarilink Aviation has a partnership with Surf Air Mobility to retrofit its eight Cessna 208B Grand Caravans with electric engines.
The airline's fleet also includes four De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Dash-8s, namely one DHC-8-100, one DHC-8-Q200, one DHC-8-300, and one DHC-8-Q300, ch-aviation fleets data reveals.
ch-aviation has reached out to Safarilink Aviation for comment.
