Earlier this year, Textron Aviation CEO Scott Donnelly told investors that the company would be scaling back on the production of certain legacy aircraft due to a lack of demand. Last week, the scaling down began with the announcement that the final Cessna Citation Mustang had rolled off the assembly line in Wichita, Kansas, and with its delivery in coming weeks the Mustang’s era would come to an end.
Since its introduction in 2006, the Mustang has been a popular light bizjet choice, as the company has sold 472 aircraft. However, demand for the Mustang dipped significantly in 2011, when Textron unveiled the Citation M2, and so it was only a matter of time before the newer bizjet prevailed.
Still, the Mustang’s production run may be over, but it won’t be forgotten.
“The Mustang proved to be an incredible success for our company and our customers, and we’re thrilled to celebrate the ingenuity and pride that went into creating the world’s most popular entry-level light jet,” said Rob Scholl, Textron’s senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. “We remain dedicated to developing new products and providing solutions that matter to our customers. The Citation M2 is a great example of this and we believe it will carry on the legacy as the entry-level jet that pilots want and need.”
The entry-level business jet, which features two seats in the cockpit and four in the cabin, had its biggest year in 2009, when Textron shipped 125 aircraft, two dozen more than it shipped the previous year. However, following the recession, deliveries dipped back to double digits (73) in 2010, and when the M2 came into the picture the following year, only 43 Mustangs were purchased. The company celebrated the 400th delivery of the Mustang in 2012.
Despite the end of the Mustang’s run, a Textron official said the company won’t cut jobs in Kansas, as the workforce is “very engaged” with production on airplanes such as the Citation Longitude and eventually the Cessna Denali turboprop.
