ATP flight school has ordered 40 more Textron Aviation Cessna Skyhawk single-engine piston aircraft for delivery beginning in 2026.
The new airframes join a fleet of 225 Skyhawks deployed across 85 ATP training centres in the USA, the companies said on 7 December. It’s the fourth fleet purchase in just over a year, Textron says. Those four purchases total 135 aircraft.
“For over six decades, the legendary Cessna Skyhawk has inspired the next generation of pilots and served as the world’s leading flight trainer,” says Chris Crow, Textron Aviation’s vice-president of piston sales. “We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with ATP and provide their students access to the most produced single-engine aircraft globally.”
“With already one of the youngest, most modern fleets at scale, the firm orders for 135 Skyhawks are for direct fleet growth, not replacement,” says Michael Arnold, ATP’s vice-president of marketing. “Over the next three years, ATP will be expanding its Cessna fleet by 60% and delivering over 40 new state-of-art planes to ATP students each year through 2026.”
The Cessna Skyhawk is the trainer aircraft of choice for most initial pilot candidates. The high-wing aircraft has stable flight characteristics and is a dependable training platform for many flight schools. Textron says it has delivered “more than 45,000” Skyhawks to customers worldwide since 1955, more than any other aircraft in history.
