With customers favoring larger regional jets, then-owner Raytheon ended production in October 2002.

[3] Developed from the Beechcraft Super King Air, the aircraft was designed to carry passengers in all weather conditions from airports with relatively short runways.

A larger passenger cabin was added to the Twin Bonanza's airframe, and called the Model 65 Queen Air.

This aircraft was, in turn, further modified by adding turboprop engines and cabin pressurization, and named the Model 90 King Air.

Beechcraft developed the 1900 directly from the Super King Air, in order to provide a pressurized commuterliner to compete with the Swearingen Metro and the British Aerospace Jetstream.

[7] With market trends favoring larger 50- to 90-seat regional jets, Raytheon ended production of the Beechcraft 1900 in October 2002.

The airplane is certified to fly up to an altitude of 25,000 feet (7,600 m) above mean sea level with its pressurized cabin.

It features two airstair passenger boarding doors: one near the tail of the aircraft much like the smaller King Airs, and a second at the front just behind the cockpit.

[6] Aircraft in the UA and UB series employ a bladder-type fuel tank system in the wings.

While the 1900C had become a popular regional airliner, Beechcraft undertook a substantial redesign of the aircraft, and in 1991 introduced a new version called the 1900D.

[6] Because the taller passenger cabin adds both weight and drag to the airplane, other elements of the 1900D were also changed.

[6] A supplemental type certificate has been awarded to Alpine Air Express to convert 1900D into cargo aircraft.

The STC involved adding a second emergency exit to the cockpit and converting the interior to a cargo configuration.

Powered by PT6-67D, the super freighter has a max takeoff weight of 17,120 pounds (7,770 kilograms) and is certified under the commuter category.

The large volume lends the aircraft well to the cargo industry where many packages are bulky and low in density.

In July 2018, a total of 114 1900Cs and 192 1900Ds were in airline service: 207 in the Americas, 63 in Africa, 25 in Europe and 11 in the Asia Pacific and Middle East.