Press Release
Issued by Cessna Textron Aviation.
October 19, 2009
Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that it has delivered 241 Citation Mustangs since the aircraft entered service in April 2007. The entry-level business jet has found worldwide appeal with deliveries revealing a 60/40 domestic/international mix and a variety of field operations, including owner-operators, corporate flight departments as well as fleet sales to flight schools, charter companies and air-taxi operators.
Cessna also announced that in 2010 it will begin offering on the Citation Mustang a factory and retrofit TCAS II traffic alert and collision avoidance system and radio altimeter system. The systems will be incorporated into the Mustang's Garmin G1000 system that includes Synthetic Vision Technology, two 10-inch primary flight displays, one 15-inch multi-function display and the integrated GFC700 dual-channel, digital autopilot.
"With two-plus years of Mustang deliveries behind us, we're getting rave reviews from the field - the aircraft is fun to fly, performs well and offers an excellent value proposition backed by Cessna's world-class service and support network," said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. "As expected, the majority of Mustang customers are business owners but we're also pleased to see strong operations in fleet use and the training environment."
Earlier this year, Cessna announced an order for five Citation Mustangs from Singapore Flying College in Australia to support its advanced training program. There have also been a number of orders and deliveries for fleet operations, including European air-taxi operators Blink and London Executive Aviation.
Blink's fleet of seven Citation Mustangs operates at about 600 hours per month from three European bases. The Mustang allows the air-taxi service to offer the speed, convenience and efficiency of a private jet at a price that is competitive with commercial business class air fares. Blink regularly flies multiple sectors, with more than one customer group in a day and reports the Mustang is reliable and provides an excellent customer experience. Blink plans to add more Mustangs and more locations in 2010.
The Citation Mustang is now certified in 60 countries including the United States. The worldwide fleet of 241 Mustangs has accumulated more than 55,000 flight hours, and the high-time aircraft has logged more than 1,500 hours. The six-place aircraft has a top speed of 340 knots (630 kilometers per hour), a range of 1,150 nautical miles (2,130 kilometers) with NBAA IFR Reserves and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,497 meters), enabling more efficient operations above most weather and commercial traffic.
