Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced during the 2016 Business Aviation Exhibition & Convention that its Citation Longitude will exceed initial performance targets with improved range and payload for this revolutionary super-midsize business jet. Further establishing the aircraft’s anticipated leadership in its segment, the Longitude has achieved an improved range of 3,500 nautical miles, an increase of 100 nautical miles, and full fuel payload of 1,600 pounds, an increase of 100 pounds.
“These performance enhancements for the Citation Longitude are a direct result of our industry-leading engineering processes that allow us to meet our program milestones and exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Michael Thacker, senior vice president, Engineering. “Increases for both range and payload on the Longitude will bring even more value to our customers, particularly for popular non-stop routes, including New York to Paris, London to Dubai and Singapore to Sydney.”
Following an impressive unveiling at last year’s NBAA and successful first flight earlier this month, the Citation Longitude has made its flying debut to NBAA and is on display this week at the Orlando Executive Airport. Certification is expected in 2017.
The Citation Longitude is designed specifically for maximum passenger comfort and offers the lowest cabin altitude in its class at 5,950 feet. State-of-the-art cabin technology allows passengers to manage their environment and entertainment from any mobile device, while standard high-speed internet maximizes in-flight productivity. With seating for up to 12 passengers, the Longitude features a stand-up, flat-floor cabin with a standard double-club configuration and a class-leading walk-in baggage compartment fully accessible in flight.
The clean-sheet design of the Longitude integrates the latest technology throughout the aircraft, which will bring customers the lowest ownership costs in this class. 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 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.