Textron Aviation entered into an agreement with ATP Flight School for the purchase of 55 Cessna Skyhawk aircraft. The piston aircraft will add to ATP’s existing fleet of nearly 200 Skyhawks, across 74 training centers nationwide. Deliveries of the 55 aircraft will begin in late 2023 and continue throughout 2024.

The Cessna Skyhawk is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company.

Students in ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program will utilize the new Cessna Skyhawks to train as airline pilots amid unprecedented demand for the skillset. The stable flight characteristics, advanced avionics, and dispatch reliability of the Cessna Skyhawk make it a dependable training platform for ATP, who flies 40,000 flight hours per month.

"The Skyhawk has proven to be an integral part of the ATP fleet, which system wide delivers 480,000 flight hours and nearly 9,000 pilot certificates issued annually,” said Michael Arnold, director of Marketing, ATP Flight School. “The new order with Textron Aviation will be essential in continuing to provide students with the fastest path to gain certification and start their careers as airline pilots."