Czech operator Travel Service has become the first customer in Europe for Textron Aviation's Citation Longitude. The aircraft will be inducted into a fleet that currently comprises four Sovereigns in 2018.

“We are looking forward to being the first European operator of the Longitude and to using the aircraft to meet increased customer demand for our business jet charter operations,” says general director Roman Vik. “Its 3,500 nm range will enable us to meet the increasing requests for long-distance flights and to give our customers the flexibility, privacy and efficiency they want. The cabin experience is second-to-none.”

The Longitude made its European debut at this year's EBACE. The first flight test article flew in October 2016 and four flying test articles have now completed more than 230 flights, accumulating over 450 hours towards FAA certification, which is anticipated by the end of the year.