Cessna has begun a three-week European demonstration tour of its new Citation Latitude with the annual Business and General Aviation day (BGAD), held on 15 September at London Biggin Hill airport – the first stop on its multi-city itinerary.
The $16.3 million, midsize business jet is the newest aircraft in Cessna’s 16-strong product line. It secured FAA certification in June, following a three-and-a-half year development effort, and entered service with a US owner in August.
The Textron Aviation subsidiary now anticipates European validation for the nine-seat aircraft in the fourth quarter. “We are eager to get the Latitude approved in Europe so we can begin deliveries to our customers here,” says Textron Aviation’s vice-president of sales for Europe, Tom Perry.
Europe is one of the largest markets for the Citation business jet family with an inventory of around 830 aircraft, according to Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database.
The airframer expects much of the demand to come from existing Citation owners “moving up or moving down” the family or upgrading to the latest model. Fleets Analyzer records the average age of the European Citation fleet at 13 years.
The Latitude is positioned in Cessna’s nine-strong Citation family between the $12.7 million superlight XLS+ and the $17.9 million midsize Sovereign + – with which it shares a wing, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306D engines and a Garmin G5000 flightdeck.
“The Latitude is unique in the Cessna product line, with its flat floor and sector-leading 1.83m (6ft) high, 5ft-wide cabin. We expect it take the midsize market by storm,” Perry adds.
He admits the success of the Latitude could cannibalise sales of the smaller Sovereign +. “Of course that’s a possibility, but there are plenty of people still seeking the two extra seats and 300nm of additional range that the Sovereign + offers,” he says.
Perry also dismisses the threat posed by the its nearest competitor, the Embraer Legacy 500, which has a headstart on the Latitude after entering service in Europe in May. “We don’t worry about the competition. We will let the customers make their choice,” he says.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
