Taking advantage of increased engine power & reliability. The Swiss-based Pilatus company, best known for its high-performance military trainer aircraft, decided to launch in 1989 a revolutionary single-engine turboprop-powered aircraft featuring a large cabin and able to fly long distances at high speed. The resulting PC-12 first flew on May 31, 1991,  prior to certification and entry into service in 1994. 

Pilatus highly invested in constantly improving the PC-12 speed and range capabilities through successive increases of the maximum takeoff weight, the use of increasingly powerful engines, and new propellers. The PC-12 also benefited from the adoption of new avionics, noise-reduction technologies, and improved highly comfortable interiors. Designed to deliver performance and safety equal to twin-engine aircraft, Pilatus proofed these capabilities through a demonstration flight in 2014 where a PC-12 NG circumnavigated the globe.

The PC-12NG features a more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67P engine with better climb performance and an increase in maximum cruise speed to 280 knots. The NG also features a Honeywell Primus Apex glass all-cockpit and new blended winglets. The latest PC-12NGX introduced the FADEC controlled PT6A-67XP engine allowing for AutoThrottle system installation and a low-speed propeller mode that lower the cabin noise.