Utility turboprop · operating costs
Cessna 208 Caravan Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Cessna 208 Caravan costs about $2,270 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $269,000 a year fixed plus $927 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $2,272
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $454,311
- Fixed costs / year
- $268,911
- Variable / flight hour
- $927
- Jet A, $424/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 55 gal/hr
- 1 pilot, paid
- Crew assumed
- 1 crew
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Cessna 208 Caravan costs per hour
The Cessna 208 Caravan is an utility turboprop with 9 seats, burning 55.3 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $927 for every hour it flies and $268,911 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $2,272 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $3,616; over 400, $1,599.
The estimate assumes a paid crew: 1 pilot. The largest single cost at 200 hours is crew salary, at $176,081 a year.
Cessna 208 Caravan cost calculator
Cessna 208 Caravan annual cost
$454,231 per year
$268,911 fixed + $927/hr × 200 hrs ($424/hr of it fuel: 55.3 gal at $7.66). About $2,271 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Cessna 208 Caravan, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Cessna 208 Caravan costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $176,081 | 1 captain at $123,220 (BLS median, commercial pilots), plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026).Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $5,000 to $10,000 | $7,500 | Recurrent training each year for 1 pilot, at $5,000 to $10,000 per pilot for a utility turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $9,660 to $48,000 | $28,830 | From Concord-Padgett's turboprop hangar rate ($805 a month) to a Grand Caravan footprint (41 x 52 ft) at Naples' $1.85 a square foot ($4,000): $805 to $4,000 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $14,000 to $29,000 | $21,500 | Liability of $2,000 to $5,000 a year plus hull cover at 0.6% to 1.2% of a hull value of $2,000,000, a typical value for utility turboprops, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). BWI's published guidance: hull at 0.6% to 1.2% of agreed value for turbine aircraft; liability higher than a private single for passenger and cargo work. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "How much is aircraft insurance? A complete 2026 cost breakdown" (January 4, 2026) |
| ManagementEstimate, $12,000 to $30,000 | $21,000 | A management company's fee of $1,000 to $2,500 a month for a utility turboprop (crew, maintenance tracking, compliance and billing). CRAFT estimate.Source: Business Jet Traveler, "Is a management company right for you?" |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $8,000 to $20,000 | $14,000 | Navigation databases and charts, weather and flight planning, maintenance tracking and office costs: $8,000 to $20,000 a year for a utility turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $268,911 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $55.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $424 | 55.3 gallons of Jet A an hour (Textron Aviation, Textron Aviation Caravan brochure, mission table (HSC, ISA, VFR 45 min reserve), DERIVED from two published figures: Caravan (PT6A-114A) high-speed-cruise missions, block fuel 644 lb at 300 nm (1:39) and 1,052 lb at 500 nm (2:45); difference 408 lb over 1:06 = 371 lb/h = 55.3 gal/h at 6.7 lb/gal (cruise only). Whole-trip block average at 500 nm: 1,052 lb / 2.75 h = 383 lb/h = 57.1 gal/h including climb) at $7.66 a gallon, our estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on 2026-10-04.Source: Textron Aviation, Textron Aviation Caravan brochure, mission table (HSC, ISA, VFR 45 min reserve); CRAFT jet fuel price data |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $150 to $300 | $225 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $150 to $300 a flight hour for a utility turboprop. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate. |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $110 to $190 | $150 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $110 to $190 per engine per hour for a utility turboprop. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $50 to $150 | $100 | Landing, ramp and handling fees and pilot travel: $50 to $150 a flight hour for a utility turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $15 to $40 | $28 | Oil, cleaning and de-icing: $15 to $40 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $927 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $268,911 | $268,911 | $268,911 |
| Variable costs | $92,700 | $185,400 | $370,800 |
| Total a year | $361,611 | $454,311 | $639,711 |
| Per flight hour | $3,616 | $2,272 | $1,599 |
Cessna 208 Caravan specs
- Class
- Utility turboprop
- Engines
- 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 55.3 gal/hr
- Seats
- 9
- Cruise
- 186 kts
- Range
- 1,070 nm
- Max takeoff weight
- 8,000 lb
Specs: Textron Aviation, Textron Aviation (Cessna) product page.
The Cessna 208 Caravan compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Cessna 208 CaravanUtility turboprop | $2,272 | $454,311 | 55.3 gal/hr |
 Daher TBM 960Single-engine turboprop | $1,239 | $247,830 | 57 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn from Textron Aviation. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for utility turboprops, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Cessna 208 Caravan cost per hour?
About $2,270 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $927 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $268,911 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $3,620 an hour; flown 400, about $1,600.
How much does it cost to own a Cessna 208 Caravan for a year?
About $454,000 a year flown 200 hours: $268,911 in fixed costs (crew salary, crew training, hangar, insurance, management, miscellaneous fixed) and $185,400 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Cessna 208 Caravan burn?
55.3 gallons of Jet A an hour (Textron Aviation, Textron Aviation Caravan brochure, mission table (HSC, ISA, VFR 45 min reserve)). At $7.66 a gallon, the estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on October 4, 2026, that is $424 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $55.
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