Cessna Sees Continued Demand in Latin American Business Jet Market

Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is proudly showcasing its latest aircraft at the Latin America Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) this week, in a region where the company has been and continues to be a preferred supplier of general aviation aircraft.

Speaking at LABACE, Kriya Shortt, Cessna senior vice president of Sales, said: “We have several exciting new products out this year, including the revolutionary new Citation Sovereign, high-performance Cessna TTx and powerful Grand Caravan EX, all of which we expect to be extremely popular with our Latin American customers.

“Latin America has traditionally been a strong region for Cessna and we have an enduring relationship with our customers here. In the region, Citation jets outnumber the next three competing brands combined and we are proud to build on our years of experience with our partners at TAM Aviação Executiva. These customers recognize quality and performance, and they will continue to choose Citations. We are committed to retaining our regional leadership through superior products and service.

“Brazil, in particular, is an important country for us – nearly half of all light and midsize jets currently operating in the country are Citations, and in the past five years Cessna has continued to be the most favored business jet import for Brazilians. We look forward to delivering many of our new products to customers here.”

Cessna is exhibiting with TAM Aviação Executiva, a Cessna Authorized Sales Representative in Brazil. Cessna’s static display at LABACE includes the Citation Latitude mock-up, Citation Sovereign, Citation XLS+, Citation CJ4, Citation Mustang, Cessna TTx, Turbo Stationair and Grand Caravan EX.

Cessna currently manufactures eight Citation business jet models, with two additional products in development – the Citation Latitude, due out in 2015, and the Citation Longitude, due out in 2017. The Citation M2 can fly six passengers non-stop from São Paulo to Buenos Aires, while the Citation X can connect up to eight passengers from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to any point on the South American continent, travelling at speeds up to Mach 0.935 (1,224 km per hour). When launched, the super-mid size Citation Longitude is expected to have the non-stop range to connect Brasília, Brazil to Washington D.C., or Cape Town, South Africa.