Textron Aviation Revives Special Olympics Airlift

After an eight-year hiatus, Textron Aviation is planning to revive an effort to transport athletes to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games with the help of owners and operators of Cessna Citations; Hawkers; and Beechcraft King Airs, Premiers, and Beechjets. The Wichita, Kansas–based airframer anticipates that owners and operators will help transport more than 4,000 athletes and coaches through the Special Olympics Airlift to the games that will be held June 5 to 12, 2022, in Orlando, Florida.

“This signature event is a unique opportunity that enables everyone, from our employees to our customers, to ignite our shared passion for lifting others up and supporting our communities by giving the athletes the joy of a once-in-a-lifetime aviation experience,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper.

This will be Textron Aviation’s eighth participation in SOA, which began under Cessna Aircraft in 1987 as the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Since the first airlift, nearly 10,000 athletes and coaches have been transported by Citation owners and operators to the games. For this eighth airlift, Textron Aviation hopes to recruit 228 aircraft owners. According to the company, it didn't organize an airlift for the 2018 Special Olympics Games in and around Seattle because of the complexity and lift requirements.