When something extraordinary comes to business aviation, the Cessna® name has often been attached to it. The brand’s unmatched legacy continues with the Citation Ascend™, the latest entry in its 560XL series, which was introduced at this year’s EBACE event in Geneva.
As Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation, stated during that introduction, “Of the Citation® family, there is none more flown than the Citation® 560XL series.” Draper went on to say that the cockpit functionality, cabin comfort, and operational enhancements of the Citation Ascend™ represent the culmination of Textron Aviation’s experience with manufacturing and maintaining a global fleet of more than 1,000 Citation® 560XLs.
A Cutting-edge Cockpit
Citation® jets have always been a joy to fly, but the Citation Ascend™ takes the pilots’ experience to a new level. It offers greater ease of operations and superior situational awareness, highlighted by the latest Garmin® G5000® suite with triple 14-inch ultra-high resolution displays and four touchscreen controllers. Further enhancing the pilot-centered capabilities of the Garmin® G5000® are synthetic vision, advanced weather radar, a dedicated cockpit voice and data satellite transceiver, and an optional second iridium data radio and CDPLC, which enables more direct routing between North America and Europe.
Of course, the avionics aren’t the only cockpit components that use state-of-the-art technologies. The Citation Ascend™ also features new full flight regime autothrottles, which reduce pilot workload and help manage the efficient Pratt & Whitney® Canada PW545D engines.
Put it all together, and the Cessna® Citation Ascend™ gives you the ease, efficiency, confidence, and capability to take your personal and business travel to a higher level than you’d have previously expected from a midsize jet.
A Reimagined Cabin
While pilots will love the new-generation cockpit of the Citation Ascend™, the totally reimagined cabin makes it evident that styling, comfort, and convenience were an equal priority in the aircraft’s creation.
“The Cessna® Citation Ascend™ builds upon more than two decades of the 560XL series’ success in the market,” says Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Operations. “It’s designed to outperform and take our customers farther in style.”
The cabin of the Citation Ascend™ was designed with feedback from an array of current and prospective Citation® owners, charter operators, pilots, mechanics, and passengers. The consensus was that they wanted their “ultimate” aircraft to offer a large-cabin experience combined with even more capabilities than what prior versions of the legendary Citation® 560XL delivered.
No other part of a private jet exemplifies its owner’s style and personality more than the cabin’s look and feel. The Citation Ascend™ lives up to your highest expectations by offering a wide array of standard and optional fabrics, finishes, and materials. They make it easy for you to design an environment that’s as functional as it is beautiful and comfortable.
You can even select the levels of firmness of the individual seat cushions. No detail is too small when ensuring that the hours spent in your Citation Ascend™ will be the most comfortable part of your travel.
Speaking of customization, the Citation Ascend™ is the first midsize jet to offer a standard flat cabin floor or an optional dropped aisle design at no charge. “The flat floor is a game changer when it comes to comfort,” says Christi Tannahill, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience for Textron Aviation. “The design gives passengers more room to swivel their seats, stretch their legs, and comfortably move around the cabin.”
To further enhance the cabin’s ambiance while reducing passenger fatigue, the Citation Ascend™ also features larger windows and quiet cabin technology.
Your Citation Ascend™ cabin can be configured to carry up to 12 passengers. Plus, to enhance in-flight productivity, U.S. operators will feature the Gogo Business Aviation Avance L3 ATG Wi-Fi connectivity as standard and the option of upgrading to Avance L5. You can also upgrade to the Aviator 300 SwiftBroadband system.
While any midsize jet can get you from point A to point B, only the new Citation Ascend™ can do it while fulfilling your desire for unique styling, superior comfort, and travel-redefining capabilities.
Operational Efficiencies Your CFO Will Love
While all the aforementioned features will put the Cessna® Citation Ascend™ at the top of your most-wanted list, let’s not overlook its array of bottom-line-enhancing efficiencies.
While all Citation® aircraft provide exceptional performance, the Citation Ascend™ expands on that legacy with its upgraded Pratt & Whitney® Canada PW545D engines, autothrottles, and thrust reversers, giving you access to shorter runways that may be more convenient to your destination.
Meanwhile, the new, more fuel-efficient and SAF-compliant engines offer increased range and payload. The new weather radar gives pilots the ability to detect weather quickly so you can fly higher, away from traffic and weather. Now, that’s optimizing productivity.
You’ll find the new Citation Ascend™ is cost-conscious when it comes to maintenance. It offers extended times for airframe and engine inspection, maintenance, and overhaul, as well as longer engine, paint, and interior warranties.
To further enhance its bottom-line benefits, the Citation Ascend™ features Textron Aviation’s proprietary AReS diagnostics system, LinxUs® and LinxUs® Air, and Pratt & Whitney® Canada FAST box. Together, they help spot trends and reduce aircraft downtime and maintenance costs. Nothing is more inefficient than an AOG.
When you put it all together, the new Cessna® Citation Ascend™ is the one new midsize business jet that checks all the boxes for capability, comfort, efficiency, and value.
“Our talented team members at Textron Aviation have proven their ability to bring new industry-leading products to market time and again,” says O’Bannion. “We look forward to exceeding our customers’ expectations again with the Cessna® Citation Ascend™.”
To learn more about the all-new Citation Ascend™, visit Textron Aviation exhibit C8744 or static display AD_51 during NBAA-BACE 2023. Or visit: cessna.com/ascend.