In a reversal of its decision announced a week ago, Textron Aviation has opted to participate in the 2024 NBAA-BACE show this month in Las Vegas with a static display. However, the company still does not plan to have a presence on the convention floor.
The move, the company said in its announcement this morning, comes in response to customer feedback. “The company’s presence will be focused on showcasing new product investments to the iconic Citation lineup,” Textron Aviation said.
On display at the BACE static site at Henderson Executive Airport will be Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation Longitude flagship and the Latitude midsize sibling, along with the CJ4 Gen 2 and M2 Gen2. In addition, Textron Aviation will have mockups of its Ascend and CJ3 Gen 2, the newest members coming to the Citation lineup. Along with its static display, Textron Aviation plans to detail its latest updates during a press conference at the airport.
The announcement marked a shift from its plans to opt out of the three-day show altogether. On September 25, the company, which is in the midst of a strike involving 5,000 of its workers, released a statement that it “continues its focus on designing and delivering the best aviation experience for our customers as we maintain our business operations during this time. With that, Textron Aviation and TRU Simulation, a Textron Aviation affiliated company, will not participate as exhibitors at the 2024 [NBAA-BACE].”
However, the company also noted that it appreciates its involvement in industry events and looked forward to future opportunities.
Gulfstream and Dassault earlier had indicated that they would not participate in BACE. Gulfstream, which last year opted out of BACE as well as EBACE in Geneva, has maintained that it is focusing on smaller, more regional events. Dassault is believed to be looking at an every-other-year model. But Textron’s initial decision seemed more about its current strike position than its long-term plans for participation at NBAA-BACE, a view seemingly affirmed as it has decided to retain a static presence.