Cessna increases Latitude range but sees deliveries fall
Too busy to keep up. Here is what happened in the business jet and helicopter market in the last seven days.
Cessna Aircraft said that it has increased the range capability of the Citation Latitude. The Latitude is now expected to have a range of 2,300 nautical miles (4,259 kilometers). The aircraft is priced at $14.9 million with the first deliveries planned for 2015.
Germany’s EFO Aviation was announced at the first European Latitude customer. The aircraft will be operated by Air Hamburg Private Jets.
Textron said Cessna delivered 67 new Citation jets in the last three months of 2011, compared with 79 in the same period of 2010. However, it increased revenues by$51 million. Cessna’s backlog at the end of the fourth quarter was $1.9 billion, down $275 million September 2011.
Bell Helicopter increased revenues by $35 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of 2010. Bell delivered seven V-22’s, six H-1’s and 62 commercial aircraft in the quarter compared to 7 V-22’s, 7 H-1’s and 71 commercial units in the fourth quarter of 2010. Bell Helicopter’s backlog at the end of 2011 was $7.3 billion, up $981 million from September 2011
Lutz Bertlin, Eurocopter president and chief executive, confirmed that the company was resuming the test flight programme of the X3 (Xcubed) prototype, starting in February 2012.
