Charter Heavyweight Retains 1,500 Cessna Citation Options
Textron Aviation and NetJets have entered into an agreement by which the Columbus, Ohio-based charter and fractional-ownership concern will retain options to purchase up to 1,500 additional Cessna Citation business jets over a 15-year period.
The newly-announced agreement extends NetJets’ extant fleet agreement and includes options for an increasing number of aircraft, thereby enabling NetJets to expand its fleet via strategic additions of Cessna Citation Ascend, Citation Latitude, and Citation Longitude aircraft.
Moreover, NetJets has been named the fleet launch customer for the aforementioned Citation Ascend, a $16.725-million 560XL series aircraft similar in performance to the Citation XLS Gen 2 but featuring, ostensibly, a 2,100-nautical-mile range.
Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper stated: “NetJets customers around the world continually select Citations as their aircraft of choice. We’re honored to be the largest provider of industry-leading aircraft to NetJets and look forward to continuing to work together to design and deliver the best aviation experience based on customer feedback. Expanding and adding the Citation Ascend to the NetJets fleet will provide its global customers with even more versatility and flexibility to accomplish their missions, building upon the exceptional performance and popularity of the Latitude and Longitude.”
Since the commencement of the two companies’ four-decade association, NetJets has taken delivery of more than eight-hundred Textron Aviation aircraft, to include upwards of three-hundred Citation Latitudes and Longitudes and a veritable bevy of Citation SII, V, Excel/XLS, Sovereign, and X models.
NetJets executive vice-president of aircraft asset management Doug Henneberry set forth: “As a long-time, trusted ally who shares our commitment to safety and service, Textron Aviation is the ideal partner to help us expand our offerings to NetJets Owners with the introduction of the new Ascend to our midsize jet class, as well as by growing our overall fleet. Based on past demand for the popular Citation Latitude and Longitude, the new Ascend and all our new Citations will undoubtedly be well received by our Owners, particularly those who depend on NetJets to help them do more and miss less.”
The popularity of Cessna’s Citation family of jet aircraft is reportedly attributable to a synthesis of reliability, efficiency, technology, comfort, and performance manifest in the marque’s engineering, manufacture, and support services. Evolving from the Citation I first flown in 1969 and introduced in 1971, Cessna’s Citation series spans fifty-years and more than thirty models. Currently, six Citation models are in production: the Citation M2 Gen2, Citation CJ3+, Citation CJ4 Gen2, Citation XLS Gen2, Citation Latitude, and Citation Longitude—with the Citation Ascend under development.
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