NAMPA, Idaho — A nearly $2.8 million airplane in Nampa is preparing to begin a journey to serve some of the most remote communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mission Aviation Fellowship purchased the Cessna Grand Caravan EX through donations to replace an aging plane currently serving the DRC.
WATCH as MAF preps a new Cessna to work in the DRC
"So, the older planes get, the more that they're down for maintenance, and this plane, being a new airplane, is going to be able to fly with a greater level of frequency, which enables us to reach more places," said David Holsten, president and CEO of Mission Aviation Fellowship.
MAF has operated in the Congo for more than 60 years. From the capital city of Kinshasa, its planes reach remote villages where roads are limited and air travel can be the only practical option.
"We have airstrips that are located at various places all throughout the interior, and this plane enables us to link the capital city of Kinshasa to any number of different villages that have one of those airstrips, and it makes really unreachable people reachable," Holsten said.
One of those destinations is Vanga, where MAF regularly delivers supplies and medical personnel to a hospital serving an area with little other medical care.
Across the country, MAF also transports vaccines and has supported Ebola response efforts, delivering medical workers and protective equipment during outbreaks.
The Grand Caravan was purchased lightly used in North Carolina with fewer than 100 flight hours. In Nampa, crews have been preparing it with specialized radios, cargo storage, and reinforced flooring for operations on rugged airstrips.
For MAF, having a reliable aircraft can be a matter of life or death.
"If we don't fly, oftentimes people die as a result," Holsten said.
MAF says the new Grand Caravan is expected to leave Nampa for Kinshasa in early December before beginning service across the region.
