Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is a single-engine turboprop carrying nine passengers up to 913 nautical miles at 186 knots. With a 5.3-foot-wide cabin running 16.7 feet long and 143 cubic feet of baggage volume, it fits between light piston twins and full regional commuters. At 5.3 feet, the cabin is wider than the turboprop category average of 4.9 feet.
The 208B dominates US regional air service. With 402 aircraft on Part 135 certificates across 48 operators, no other turboprop in this segment approaches that fleet depth. Baron Aviation Services and Corporate Air each operate 37 aircraft; Southern Airways Express runs 36, and West Air 33. Southern Airways and similar operators use the type on Essential Air Service routes connecting small communities to hub airports. In Alaska, Grant Aviation (25 aircraft), Wright Air Service (20), and Bering Air (17) rely on the Grand Caravan for bush routes where paved runways are the exception.
Charter rates run $1,300 to $1,600 per hour. Used examples from the early 1990s trade around $670,000; a late-model Grand Caravan EX runs closer to $1.85 million. For nine passengers on routes under 700 nautical miles, few turboprops offer comparable utility at this price.
Specs at a glance
Interior & cabin
| Passengers | 9 |
| Cabin length | 16.7 ft |
| Cabin width | 5.3 ft |
| Cabin height | 4.5 ft |
| Baggage volume | 143 cu ft |
At 4.5 ft of cabin height, the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is a sit-down jet. Expect to duck moving between seats.
Operator floor plans vary. Some Cessna 208B Grand Caravan cabins are configured with a divan that drops the headcount by one or two seats; confirm the layout with the operator before booking.
Range & performance
| Range | 913 nm |
| Max cruise | 186 ktas |
| Typical cruise | ~158 ktas |
With 913 nm of range, the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan is built for short-to-mid US missions. Plan a fuel stop for anything past three hours of cruise.
Distances are real great-circle nautical miles from the selected hub. Angular positions are spaced for readability, not actual bearings. Range envelope assumes no wind and a full passenger load.
Charter cost per hour
Charter the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan at roughly $2,000–$2,500 per flight hour, depending on how far ahead you book. Turboprop jets like this carry 6–9 passengers; the per-seat math improves sharply as you fill the cabin.
Rates are flight-hour pricing. Total cost depends on round-trip vs. one-way, positioning, fuel surcharges, and taxes (~15% on top of base). Run the math on your trip →
Safety Record
History
Cessna began development in November 1981, and the original Model 208 prototype flew on December 9, 1982. FAA certification came in October 1984. Federal Express signed on as the launch customer, ordering freight versions from the start. In 1986, Cessna stretched the fuselage by four feet to produce the 208B Super Cargomaster for FedEx. A passenger variant of that longer airframe entered service in 1990 as the Grand Caravan.
Production has continued since. The family reached 1,000 deliveries in 1998, 2,000 in 2010, and 3,000 in 2022. By 2022, the global fleet had accumulated 24 million flight hours. The current production model, the Grand Caravan EX, uses a more powerful engine that improves hot-and-high performance while retaining the same type certificate.
Ideal For
- Six to nine passengers on regional routes up to 700nm, including city pairs like Miami to Nassau (186nm), Chicago to Cleveland (260nm), or Anchorage to Nome (550nm)
- Essential Air Service feeder routes connecting small communities to commercial hubs, where runway length or surface limits larger aircraft
- Bush and backcountry operations on gravel, dirt, and grass strips; the fixed tricycle gear suits unimproved surfaces year-round
- Medical transport and medevac: the 16.7-foot cabin and large cargo door accommodate stretcher configurations
- Island hopping and coastal routes where single-engine turbine reliability is preferable to the complexity of a piston twin
- Cargo and freight runs where payload access and cabin volume matter more than cruise speed
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan vs Turboprop Average
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charter a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan?
Charter rates typically run $1,300 to $1,600 per hour. A 90-minute regional hop generally totals $2,500 to $3,500 all-in, depending on positioning and fuel surcharges.
How does the Grand Caravan compare to a standard Cessna 208 Caravan?
The 208B Grand Caravan has a fuselage four feet longer than the standard 208 Caravan, which translates to more legroom and a larger passenger cabin. The standard 208 has slightly longer published range (1,070nm vs 913nm) but a smaller interior. Both share the same basic airframe lineage and PT6A engine family.
Who are the largest Grand Caravan operators in the US?
Baron Aviation Services and Corporate Air each operate 37 Grand Caravans — the two largest fleets among Part 135 certificate holders. Southern Airways Express (36 aircraft) runs the type on Essential Air Service routes. In Alaska, Grant Aviation, Wright Air Service, and Bering Air collectively fly 62 Grand Caravans on bush and remote routes.
Can the Grand Caravan land on unpaved runways?
Yes. The Grand Caravan’s fixed gear and relatively low operating speeds suit it for gravel, dirt, and grass strips. Alaska operators routinely fly the type on unimproved surfaces year-round, which accounts for its heavy concentration in the state.
Is a used Grand Caravan a reasonable acquisition for a charter operator?
Entry-level examples from the early 1990s sell for around $670,000. Mid-2000s models trade near $1.37 million, and Grand Caravan EX variants run to $1.85 million pre-owned. With 402 active aircraft across 48 Part 135 operators, the type has a deep parts and maintenance support network in the US.
Cessna 208B Grand Caravans for Charter (402) Page 6 of 9
Where Cessna 208B Grand Caravans actually fly
ADS-B-tracked flights from the trailing 90 days. Numbers cover aircraft on our charter database; private corporate fleets and operators using PIA registration are not in this count. Methodology →
Top routes
Busiest origins
| Honolulu, Oahu (PHNL) | 1886 |
| Anchorage (PANC) | 1787 |
| Kenai (PAEN) | 1782 |
| Kotzebue (PAOT) | 1204 |
| Kaunakakai (HI49) | 770 |
| Dulles (KIAD) | 630 |
| Ontario (KONT) | 555 |
| Oakland (KOAK) | 552 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (KDFW) | 468 |
| Seattle (KBFI) | 370 |
Most active operators
| Operator | Aircraft | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| SOUTHERN AIRWAYS EXPRESS, LLC | 31 | 6,513 |
| GRANT AVIATION INC | 14 | 3,789 |
| WEST AIR, INC. | 32 | 2,798 |
| BERING AIR INC | 17 | 2,557 |
| Baron Aviation Services, Inc. | 33 | 2,175 |
| Martinaire Aviation L.L.C. | 22 | 1,870 |
| CSA Air, Inc. | 30 | 1,612 |
| Redding Aero Enterprises, Inc. | 11 | 1,069 |
| CORPORATE AIR | 25 | 914 |
| KENMORE AIR EXPRESS, LLC | 3 | 838 |
Comparable aircraft
Same category, similar mission profile. The framing below summarizes how each one differs from the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan on the dimensions that matter most.