Cessna Citation Ascend Programme Rollout First Production Unit

Textron Aviation has announced significant progress in its Cessna Citation Ascend business jet program, with the first production unit having emerged from the manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft is anticipated to receive certification from the Federal Aviation Administration later this year.

Employees organised a special event to commemorate the significant program milestone of the latest Citation business jet in the renowned 560XL series, as they persist in designing and delivering the premier aviation experience for customers.

“Today is a big celebration and thank you to everyone who has been a part of building up to this point. It is your craftsmanship that continues to make milestones like this possible,” said Todd McKee, senior vice president, Integrated Supply Chain. “By infusing new technology and bringing new features to the market, we continue to drive the future for us to build these legendary aircraft.”

Over the past 25 years, more than 1,000 units of the Cessna Citation 560XL series have been delivered. Owners and operators consistently select this series due to its exceptional blend of performance, comfort, operational simplicity, versatile mission capabilities, and advantageous operating efficiencies.

Textron Aviation developed the Citation Ascend by incorporating customer feedback to achieve optimal performance and comfort. Featuring sleek and modern design elements, the aircraft offers many of the luxurious amenities found in the popular Citation Latitude and Citation Longitude models, such as a flat floor that provides ample legroom and passenger flexibility. It is equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines, which are engineered for fuel efficiency and enhanced thrust, alongside Garmin G5000 avionics that include the latest software and hardware, featuring autothrottle technology. Additionally, the Ascend is fitted with a Honeywell RE100 [XL] Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) approved for unattended operations.

With 19 standard USB charging ports and three universal outlets throughout the aircraft, all crew and passengers have access to at least one charging port in the Citation Ascend. The aircraft has a standard seating configuration of nine passengers.