Textron Aviation has secured the first order of its Cessna Citation Latitude in Argentina in a deal with longtime Citation customer and charter operator Jet Clipper.
The midsized business jet, to be delivered next year, will be deployed in Argentina as well as neighboring Uruguay and Paraguay, Textron Aviation disclosed at the NBAA-BACE show in Las Vegas on 14 October.
The Latitude’s short runway capabilities make it a good match for a region where operators need to access “remote destinations quickly”, says Marcelo Moreira, Textron Aviation’s vice-president of sales, Latin America.
Latin America represents a strong market for Textron Aviation, where about 1,400 of its business jets and 2,200 turboprops are in operation, including nearly 75 Cessna Citation-family jets in Argentina.
The country is also home to the “second-largest installed base of the Beechcraft King Air B200-series aircraft” in Latin America.
Jet Clipper has flown Citation-series aircraft since 2012, starting with the Citation Mustang.
“The Latitude is perfect for deep South America because you are only one stop away from the United States or many other destinations,” says Angel Zaninovich, president of Jet Clipper.
Textron Aviation says the nine-passenger Latitude’s 2,700nm (5,000km) range allows it to fly nonstop beween Buenos Aires and Quito, Ecuador, and from Lima, Peru to Jacksonville, Florida.
