Fractional ownership company NetJets has taken delivery of its first Cessna Citation Latitude, and added a further 50 options to its 2012 order for 150 of the midsize business jets.
The 28 June handover to NetJets’ US programme also marked the 7,000th Citation-series shipment since the first aircraft entered service in 1972.
NetJets’ Citation line-up also consists of the Encore/Encore+ and Excel/XLS light-twins, along with the midsize Sovereign and Sovereign X.
To drum up sales of the 2,850nm (5,280km)-range Latitude ahead of its delivery, NetJets conducted a seven-month promotional tour with two demonstrator aircraft. Its European affiliate, headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, began its Latitude publicity drive in May. NetJets Europe’s first customer aircraft is expected to arrive in September.
Textron Aviation
All NetJets models are equipped with the Berkshire Hathaway-affiliated company’s Signature Series bespoke interior.
Cessna began deliveries of the $16.3 million Latitude in August 2015, and had delivered 23 units by the end of the first quarter.
The aircraft was launched in 2011 as a competitor to the Embraer Legacy 500, which entered service in late 2014. It is positioned in Cessna’s 10-strong Citation family between the $12.7 million superlight XLS+ and the $17.9 million midsize Sovereign+, with which it shares wings, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines and a Garmin G5000 flightdeck.
Cessna says its Citation family “is the most popular line of business jets in the world”, with the 7,000-strong fleet having flown more than 35 million hours to date. This is “far more than any of its competitors”, it says.
“Throughout the years, the Citation line has evolved to meet the growing needs of our customers and their missions,” says Textron Aviation chief executive Scott Ernest. “Smart innovation and continuous product investments define our Citation models today,” he adds.
Cessna has two business jets in development. The super-midsize Longitude is scheduled to fly in the third quarter and enter service in 2017, and the flagship Hemisphere – Cessna’s first large-cabin type – will make its maiden sortie in 2019.
Source: Flight International
