Cessna Citation XLS+ to Enter Service This Quarter

FARNBOROUGH, England.– With Federal Aviation Administration type certification in hand, Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is moving toward first delivery of the Citation XLS+ by the end of the third quarter.

The order book tops 225 – with 70 bound for Europe – for the XLS+, an upgrade to the mid-size XLS that is on exhibit this week at the Farnborough International Airshow. With a global fleet of nearly 650 planes and more than 1.4 million flight hours, the Excel/XLS is the world’s best-selling business jet model. More than 160 have been delivered to Europe.

Cessna received FAA certification for the XLS+ on May 30 following a 640-hour flight test program; European Aviation Safety Agency certification is in progress and expected by early 2009.

The XLS+ features the fully integrated Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and electronically controlled (FADEC) engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada. All current production Citations employ new generation turbofan engines, which meet or exceed the most stringent noise requirements and allow Cessna’s line of business jets to be among the most fuel efficient and achieve some of the lowest emissions in the industry.

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 815 kilometers per hour (440 knots) with a range of more than 3,441 kilometers (1,858 nautical miles).