Cessna Announces Citation Mustang Order from Russia’s Dexter

Geneva.– Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) an order for 20 Citation Mustangs from Russian air taxi operator Dexter.

“Dexter’s order is a strong sign of the strength of the business jet market in Eastern Europe, particularly within Russia,” said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing for Cessna. “It is also a sign of the strength of the Mustang program – great economics, great performance and great production. We designed the Mustang to be every bit as reliable and robust as any other Citation in the stable, and that makes it quite suitable for the high utilization operations it will see at Dexter.”

Cessna expects certification for the Citation Mustang by Russian authorities in early 2010. The Mustang, still the only aircraft in a new class of entry-level business jets to be fully operational, is already certified in more than 47 countries.

“Since our first flight in 2006, our Moscow-based operation is the first air taxi in the country offering the intelligent alternative for business travelers,” said Dexter Chief Executive Officer Eugene Andrachnikov. “The company created an entirely new ‘low cost business aviation’ mode of transportation that complements travel by car, train and traditional air carriers in Russia.”

Dexter plans to expand its fleet of new Swiss Pilatus PC-12 aircraft with the Citation Mustang to create a national air taxi network. Dexter is funded by two Russian private equity groups, Industrial Investors and Kaskol, both with strong expertise in the transportation sector.