Cessna expects Latitude to be a game changer

Cessna expects its new
‘game-changing’ Citation Latitude mid-size business jet to become a favourite
with Middle East customers. The aircraft can carry up to
eight passengers with two flight crew.

Mark Paolucci, Cessna senior
vice president for sales, said: “The Citation Latitude is a game-changer for
the mid-size segment in the Middle East and North Africa,
offering the payload, speed and range the market requires with an unmatched
cabin experience at this price point.” The aircraft is priced at $14.9 million.

Paolucci said the spacious
Citation Latitude cabin will particularly appeal to Middle
East customers.

Positioned between the Citation
XLS+ and Citation Sovereign in Cessna’s product line, the Citation Latitude
offers a full fuel payload of 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms), a maximum cruise
speed of 442 knots true airspeed (819 kilometers per hour) and a range of 2,000
nautical miles (3,704 kilometers).

Paolucci continued “The
Middle East market will welcome the excellent capability of the Citation
Latitude. The Citation Latitude can, for example, fly Dubai-Cairo nonstop
against the wind, whilst continuing to offer the strong ‘hot and high’
capabilities one associates with mid-size Citation jets like the Sovereign.”

Preliminary specifications
project the aircraft will operate at airports with runways as short as 3,900
feet (1,189 meters), will have a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet (13,716
meters) and will climb direct to 43,000 feet (13,106 meters) in 23 minutes.
First flight of the Citation Latitude prototype is expected to be mid-year
2014, with entry into service expected in 2015.

Paolucci said “The
requirements for business travel have evolved to more than comfort and
convenience; the use of innovative technology is key to providing a more
efficient and productive aircraft cabin, which is critical to meeting
expectations of a fully functioning work environment. Through our new Clairity
cabin technology system, we have an intuitive user interface to offer customers
a ‘smart’ airplane for the ultimate connectivity experience.”