Travel Service named as first European Citation Longitude customer

 Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced during the 2017 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) its first order from a European customer for the super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude. Travel Service, the largest Czech Republic-based airline, will add the Longitude to its fleet of four Cessna Citation Sovereign aircraft used for business jet charter services.

“We’ve seen fantastic interest in the Longitude across Europe, a market that welcomes the best-in-class operating costs, amenities, acquisition costs and dependability that our Citation product line offers,” said Rob Scholl, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. “Travel Service passengers will enjoy the Longitude’s clean-sheet design for its class-leading cabin comfort and integration of the latest technology and revolutionary performance of the airplane.”

The Longitude is making its European debut this week at EBACE. The first flight test article flew in October 2016 and to date, four flying test articles have completed more than 230 flights, accumulating over 450 hours toward achieving Federal Aviation Administration certification, targeted for the end of this year. The company expects to deliver the first European-based Longitude to Travel Service in 2018.

“Travel Service is looking forward to being the first European operator of a Citation Longitude and thrilled to use the airplane to meet increased customer demand for our business jet charter operations,” said Roman Vik, general director of Travel Service. “The Longitude’s 6,482 kilometer range will allow us to meet the increasing requests for long-distance flights and to give our customers the flexibility, privacy and efficiency they want while flying in a second-to-none cabin atmosphere.”

About the Citation Longitude

The Longitude is set to elevate passenger expectations in this class of aircraft by delivering the quietest cabin, lowest cabin altitude (5,950 feet), more standard features and a comfortable, bespoke interior with a superior fit and finish. With seating for up to 12 passengers, including an optional crew jump seat, the Longitude features a stand-up, 6-foot tall flat-floor cabin. A standard double-club configuration allows the most legroom in the super-midsize class. Fully berthable seats are designed and manufactured in-house and a class-leading walk-in baggage compartment is accessible in flight.

Natural light is plentiful with 15 large windows positioned throughout the cabin for optimal viewing. A large, forward wet galley offers versatility to meet a wide variety of passenger needs. State-of-the-art cabin technology allows passengers to manage their environment and entertainment from any mobile device, while standard internet maximizes productivity in flight.

Textron Aviation announced in October 2016 that the Longitude had achieved an improved range of 6,482 kilometers (3,500 nautical miles), an increase of 185 kilometers (100 nautical miles), and full fuel payload of 726 kilograms (1,600 pounds), an increase of 45 kilograms (100 pounds), further establishing the aircraft’s anticipated leadership in its segment.

It features the next evolution of the Garmin G5000 flight deck and is powered by FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines with fully integrated autothrottles. With optional head-up display and enhanced vision capability, the Longitude facilitates eyes-up flying. The spacious cockpit incorporates easier access and an ergonomic design that fully focuses on crew comfort and efficiency.

No super-midsize business jet offers more range, greater payload or higher cruise speed at a lower expected total ownership cost. The Longitude is designed to feature the longest maintenance intervals in its class – 800 hours or 18 months – expected to make it the most cost effective to operate in its category.