Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, today announced at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) that it is in the process of delivering the 100th Cessna Citation Latitude midsize business jet. The milestone aircraft, which comes just 26 months after the first Latitude entered service, will be handed over to NetJets, Inc., this week at Textron Aviation headquarters in Wichita, Kansas.
“We set out to redefine this segment by investing in a new product with features our customers told us they wanted: large-cabin amenities and best-in-class operating costs. Delivering 100 Latitudes in just over two years is a testament that we’ve got the ideal combination,” said Rob Scholl, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing, Textron Aviation. “There’s no better endorsement than the fact that our longtime customer NetJets reports it as the best-selling aircraft in its fleet.”
NetJets extended its total Latitude order to up to 200 aircraft when it took its first delivery in June 2016.
“The Latitude is one of the most outstanding midsize cabin jets in the industry. It meets our Owners’ and our own high standards for performance and safety,” said Doug Henneberry, executive vice president of Aircraft Asset Management, NetJets, Inc. “We are proud to have Latitudes in our fleet, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone delivery with our industry partner.”
Textron Aviation delivered 42 Citation Latitudes in 2016, making it the most delivered midsize jet in the world for that year. The aircraft’s mission flexibility has made it popular with fleet operators, corporate owners and special missions operators across the world. With certification in 39 countries, the global fleet has surpassed 45,000 flight hours.