An Airbus C295W aircraft belonging to the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) and operated by a mixed crew from Airbus Defence and Space and SEMAR/FAM (Mexican Air Force) today completed a month-long tour through Latin America demonstrating the aircraft’s extensive capabilities.

The tour included stops in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Panama and Mexico. During its month on the continent the C295W covered around 46,000 kilometres in around 100 flight hours and was subjected to weather conditions ranging from the extreme cold of southern Argentina to the hot and high conditions of La Paz, Bolivia, with optimum performance at all times. The aircraft also performed the first flight ever by the C295 to Antarctica.

The new C295W version is equipped with winglets that allow the transport of more payload over longer distances in hot and high conditions, as well as fuel savings of around 4%.

“The reliability and versatility of the C295W are renowned among Latin American operators, which have relied on Airbus Defence and Space aircraft for many years. This tour has demonstrated once again the capabilities of this outstanding aircraft and I would like to thank the Mexican Navy for enabling us to undertake this extensive journey through the region,” said Christophe Roux, Head of Airbus Defence and Space in Latin America.

Airbus Defence and Space currently sold around 150 military transport aircraft to armed forces of 13 countries in the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Mexico, with 24 aircraft – including the new C295W – is the largest operator of Airbus Defence and Space military transport aircraft in Latin America, followed by Colombia and Brazil, with 18 and 12 aircraft respectively.

Chile was one of the first countries to place an order with the former company CASA (now part of Airbus Defence and Space) in 1978 and today has a fleet of 12 military transport aircraft produced by Airbus Defence and Space.