Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Textron To Cease Production of Cessna Citation X+

Production of the Cessna Citation X+ is coming to a close, Textron Aviation announced. The speedy twinjet and its predecessor Citation X have been in continuous production since 1995.
(Photo: Textron Aviation)

Textron Aviation has confirmed it is ceasing production of the Cessna Citation X+, ending a more-than-21-year manufacturing run for the Mach 0.935 twinjet and its predecessor, the Citation X. The Mach 0.92 X was announced at NBAA 1990 and certified in June 1996; the upgraded Citation Ten, later renamed the X+, was revealed at NBAA 2010 and certified in June 2014. To date, the company has delivered 314 Xs and just 24 X+s.

“We continuously monitor the market as it fluctuates and adjust our product offerings as necessary,” a Textron Aviation spokesperson told AIN. “The Citation X platform has a storied heritage…and has become a beloved aircraft by operators and passengers alike as the fastest civilian aircraft in the world. With the upcoming entry into service of the Citation Longitude, we are taking the opportunity to minimize overlap within this customer segment and discontinuing production of the Citation X+.” Both the Longitude and X+ can seat 12 passengers and have about 3,500 nm of range.

The move wasn’t unexpected since Textron has delivered an average of only four Citation X+s annually over the past two years, said business aviation analyst and JetNet iQ managing director Rolland Vincent. “We predicted the end of the Citation X+ production a few years ago,” he told AIN. “The X+ was never going to move the needle now that folks can get a jet with a flat-floor cabin, at least 3,000-nm range, and reasonably fast speeds for the same money.”

According to the Textron spokesperson, “With this transition, employment levels will not be impacted, as employees will move to other production lines to align with business priorities. Textron Aviation remains committed to delivering full service and support to Citation X customers.”

(Chad Trautvetter - AINOnline News)

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