Citation_Latitude

Textron Aviation’s subsidiary Cessna Aircraft has received type certification for the Citation Latitude business jet from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Citation Latitude is said to be the first-of-its kind in the business jet segment to offer a roomy, flat floor, stand-up cabin with better operating costs.

Cessna plans to deliver the first aircraft to the customer in the third quarter this year.

Last month, Citation Latitude was debuted at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, and made its first Atlantic crossing. The aircraft will be rolled-out in other markets globally by the end of the year.

Textron Aviation president and CEO Scott Ernest said: "From inception, we looked at every aspect of how we design, build and deliver new products to the market with the goal to further improve upon the key attributes that make the Citation so highly esteemed.

"Throughout the certification programme, the Latitude demonstrated breakthrough results, which are evident in the aircraft’s performance and value proposition."

"The Latitude demonstrated breakthrough results, which are evident in the aircraft’s performance and value proposition."

In February, Cessna started a flight test programme for the Latitude and currently has four test aircraft that have logged 1,697 flight hours over 690 flights.

Citation Latitude is claimed to reach 2,850nm at long-range cruise, 2,700nm at high-speed cruise, and runway performance of 3,580ft, with a maximum operating altitude of 45,000ft.

The aircraft features Garmin G5000 avionics system, auto-throttle, fuselage that can accommodate up to nine passengers, Cessna Clairity cabin-technology system, a cabin cooling system, and a new pressurisation system.

The model will deliver operating costs 20% lower than its competitors, Cessna said.

The latest certification complements the company’s certified Citation M2, Citation CJ3+, Citation Sovereign+, and Citation X+ jets.

Since the first Citation business jet was put into service in 1972, Cessna has delivered 6,750 Citations to customers worldwide.

Image: A Citation Latitude aircraft in flight. Photo: courtesy of Textron Aviation.