Sun, May 17, 2009
Cessna has delivered two Citation XLS+ business jets to
Lufthansa, the first deliveries of the model to a European
customer. The aircraft have entered service alongside two Citation
CJ3s and one CJ1+ in the Lufthansa Private Jet fleet, which
provides point-to-point flights among 1,000 destinations in Europe
and Russia. The Private Jet service also offers customers of
Lufthansa and SWISS International Air Lines long-haul
flights seamless travel to onward regional airports.
Three further CJ1+ aircraft are scheduled for delivery to
Lufthansa later this year. Two will join the Lufthansa Private Jet
fleet, while the other is to be used within Lufthansa’s pilot
training program.
“We are delighted that Lufthansa has selected the XLS+,
CJ3 and CJ1+ for its Private Jet fleet, as this underlines the
suitability of Citations to intensive commercial service throughout
Europe,” said Trevor Esling, Cessna’s vice president
for International Sales.
”We are the only airline in the world to operate a
successful private jet service alongside our portfolio of scheduled
flights offering peerless flexibility and exclusivity,” said
Dr. Karsten Benz, vice president Sales & Services Europe,
Lufthansa. “With our new Cessna airplanes, we are once again
setting the pace within one of aviation’s niche growth areas
in Europe.”
The Citation XLS+, part of the mid-size Excel/XLS family, is the
latest version of the world’s best-selling business jet
model. It features the fully integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line
21 avionics suite and electronically controlled (FADEC) engines
from Pratt & Whitney Canada. Exterior and interior restyling is
also integrated into the new model, most prominently the extended
contour of the nose and expanded seat widths, both introduced to
more closely resemble Cessna’s Citation X and Citation
Sovereign models.
The Citation XLS+ travels as fast as 441 knots with a range
of more than 1858 nautical miles. At maximum takeoff weight it
will depart from runways as short as 3,560 feet at standard
sea-level conditions. It will land on runways as short
as 2,700 feet at its typical landing weight.
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