$20.4 Million Project Aimed At Turning Out Piston Aircraft And Citation Mustangs

Cessna brass and prominent Kansas government officials broke ground Tuesday for Cessna's new $20.4 million expansion to its Independence, KS, facility. The expansion will include the construction of two new stand-alone buildings: a 90,000 square foot flight/delivery building and an 11,000 square foot aircraft completions building.

In addition, Cessna will expand its current customer delivery center by 11,000 square feet. The construction will be completed in December 2005. These new facilities will support the production and delivery of Cessna's single engine piston aircraft product line and Cessna's new entry-level business jet, the Citation Mustang.

"What a great day!" said Cessna's President and CEO Jack J. Pelton. "There are so many people to thank for making this day possible, but the real congratulations go to the local Cessna employees and the people of Montgomery County who made this day possible. When we began looking at where we should build the Mustang, Independence was always at the top of the list because of employees' dedication to Cessna, commitment to lean manufacturing, and customer-focused attitudes. After serious deliberations, we announced we would manufacture the new Citation Mustang here. We are very pleased with our decision, and know that you will continue to delight customers as you deliver the world's best entry level business jet and single engine airplanes."

The groundbreaking occurred on the ten-year anniversary of when Cessna named Independence as home to its new, single engine, piston aircraft manufacturing facility. Tuesday's ceremony marks the first expansion Cessna has made to its Independence plant since it was dedicated on July 3, 1996.

Cessna expects to increase its Independence workforce by approximately 500 over the next several years in order to support single engine piston aircraft and Citation Mustang production and delivery. Cessna currently employs approximately 625 people in Independence. The majority of these employees reside in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma.

The Cessna Independence facility sits on a 213-acre site. Current structures on the property include separate assembly, paint and delivery facilities that total nearly 400,000 square feet.

FMI: www.cessna.com