Flagship Cessna Citation Longitude makes Asia-Pacific debut at Singapore Airshow 2018

[Aviation News]

Textron Aviation Inc. will be debuting its newest and largest aircraft to date to the Asia-Pacific market – the flagship, super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude business jet, at the Singapore Airshow 2018. For the first time in the region, customers can experience the aircraft’s spacious, comfortable and whisper-quiet cabin first-hand at the show.

“We are thrilled to showcase the Citation Longitude at the Singapore Airshow and bring this revolutionary aircraft to this market for customers to experience for themselves,” said Jessica Pruss, president, Asia Pacific Sales and Marketing. “With its segment-leading combination of cabin comfort, low operating costs, maintenance intervals, speed and range, the Citation Longitude is a superb fit for this region and is sure to be the star of the show.”

With Federal Aviation Administration certification expected early in 2018, the Longitude’s flight test program is well underway. The program’s five test aircraft have now flown more than 800 flights while accumulating over 1,900 hours. The aircraft is being built at Textron Aviation’s headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, where the assembly line is at full-rate production.

Since late 2017, the Longitude has been actively flying as part of a 46-city demo tour across the United States, highlighting the aircraft’s spacious cabin, high-end finishes and impressive performance to customers. As part of the tour, the aircraft has visited 27 cities and accumulated more than 43,000 miles.

“With the demo tour well underway and 27 cities now under its wings, the Citation Longitude has been receiving rave reviews,” Pruss said. “The Longitude’s spacious and comfortable cabin along with its commanding performance continue to awe pilots and passengers alike.”

With a range of 6,482 kilometers (3,500 nautical miles) and full fuel payload of 726 kilograms (1,600 pounds), the Citation Longitude will be able to travel nonstop within the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore to Beijing or from Hong Kong to Mumbai with four passengers.

The Citation Longitude is designed to elevate passenger expectations in the super-midsize class by delivering the quietest cabin, a low cabin altitude (1,814 meters/5,950 feet), more standard features and a comfortable, bespoke interior. With seating for up to 12 passengers, including an optional crew jump seat, the Longitude features a stand-up, 6-foot tall flat-floor cabin.

A standard double-club configuration delivers the most legroom in the super-midsize class. Fully berthable seats are designed and manufactured in-house and a class-leading walk-in baggage compartment is accessible throughout the entire flight. State-of-the-art cabin technology enables passengers to manage their environment and entertainment from any mobile device, while high-speed internet maximizes in-flight productivity.

The clean-sheet design of the Longitude integrates the latest technology throughout the aircraft, bringing customers the lowest ownership cost in this class. It features the next evolution of the Garmin G5000 flight deck and is powered by FADEC-equipped Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines with fully integrated autothrottles with envelope protection. With Garmin’s new Head-up Display (GHD 2100) and enhanced vision capability, the Longitude facilitates eyes-up flying. The spacious cockpit incorporates easier access and an ergonomic design that fully focuses on crew comfort and efficiency.

The Longitude is billed as a super-midsize business jet that offers more range, greater payload and higher cruise speed at a lower expected total ownership cost. The Longitude is designed to feature the longest maintenance intervals in its class – 800 hours or 18 months – expected to make it the most cost-effective to operate in its category.