Textron Aviation Unveils Cessna Citation Ascend in Geneva

The $16.25-million Cessna Citation Ascend by Textron Aviation will be the fifth-generation Citation 560XL when it arrives in 2025.

Fred George

Monday, May 22, 2023 at 05:40 AM ET

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Textron Aviation's Cessna Citation Ascend continues the XLS line with a new model that is planned to enter service in 2025. [Textron Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

The Cessna Citation Ascend, unveiled at EBACE 2023 and priced at $16.725 million for 2025 delivery, is the fifth-generation Citation 560XL, aiming to continue the series' market dominance.
It features upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D engines for improved fuel efficiency, reduced noise, and extended maintenance intervals, along with a refreshed exterior appearance including larger cabin windows.
The interior boasts significant enhancements such as a new flat floor, improved soundproofing, an advanced speakerless surround-sound system, ample USB-C and wireless charging ports, and an app-controlled cabin management system.
The flight deck integrates the latest Garmin G5000 avionics suite, complete with autothrottles and innovative 3D exocentric view airport diagrams, designed to reduce pilot workload.

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Could this be a mini Citation Latitude? That was my first impression when I saw the Cessna Citation Ascend mock-up at the European Business Aviation Convention and Expo in Geneva. Textron Aviation (NYSE:TXT) pulled back the curtain on the new model Monday morning at EBACE 2023.

The $16.725-million Ascend will be the fifth-generation Citation 560XL when it arrives in 2025, and its refreshed appearance heralds dozens of improvements aimed at sustaining demand for the best-selling business jet in the last quarter century. Almost 1,100 Excel, XLS, XLS+ and XLS Gen 2 Citations have been delivered since 1998. The Ascend has plenty of qualities aimed at extending this sales performance.