Summary
- Textron Aviation ceased Cessna Citation Sovereign production in March 2021 due to market competition and demand.
- The Cessna Citation Sovereign+ featured enlarged wings, powerful engines, and advanced avionics.
- Market demand shift influenced the decision, focusing more on newer Cessna Citation models with less overlap.
Textron Aviation announced on March 8th, 2021, that they had stopped production of the Cessna Citation Sovereign. The midsize business jet has been in production since 2004. So why did they make this decision?
A brief history
The Cessna Citation Sovereign was first announced at the 1998 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Its first flight was in February 2002, and deliveries started in September 2004. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification was granted in June 2004, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) followed in March 2005.
The original aircraft
The Cessna Citation Excel fuselage was stretched by 6ft 6″ to create the new Cessna Citation Sovereign C680. A larger wing was added with larger trailing edge flaps to improve runway performance. More powerful PW306C engines from Pratt and Whitney Canada were chosen for the new aircraft. These allowed for an increased maximum take-off weight and a 5,900 km range. The cockpit was fitted with Honeywell Primus Epic avionics and four LCD screens. The cabin had eight club seats with one side-facing seat.
Later improvements
In October 2012, the Cessna Citation Sovereign+ was announced. It added winglets that helped extend range, and Garmin G5000 avionics improved the flight deck. New PW306D engines were fitted with autothrottles providing 848km/h at top speed. With a direct climb of FL450, the full fuel payload was increased. In December 2013, the Citation Sovereign fleet rose to 349 aircraft with 802,000 flying hours. In total, 349 Sovereign and 94 Sovereign+ were produced.
In decline
In March 2021, Textron Aviation announced it would no longer be making the Sovereign. This was due to the market overlap of the more recent Cessna Citation Longitude and Cessna Citation Latitude. The company said that current customers would still receive service and support from Sovereign through its extensive global service center network and their product and support teams.
At the same time, Textron announced that the Beechcraft King Air C90 CTx twin turboprop would no longer be produced. Demand for both aircraft has decreased in favor of the newer aircraft types. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association year-end shipment report for 2020 showed that only six of the Citation Sovereign twinjets were delivered in 2019, compared to 26 Latitude and 18 Longitude models.
Photo: Flyexclusive
- In 2018, six Citation Sovereigns were delivered.
- In 2019, eight Citation Sovereigns were delivered.
- In 2020, six Citation Sovereigns were delivered.
- In comparison, in 2019, deliveries for the Citation Longitude and Latitude were 18 and 26, respectively.
“With the recent certification of the super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude business jet and continued success and proven reliability of the Cessna Citation Latitude midsize business jet, we are taking the opportunity to minimize overlap within this customer segment.” -Textron Aviation statement
Cessna Citation Sovereign: A Brief Guide To The Mid-Size Private Jet
During their production runs, Cessna built 349 Sovereign and 94 Sovereign+ aircraft.
Price range
In 2020, the Citation Sovereign factory’s new price was around $19.7 million. According to Aircraft Bluebook, in 2012, when the Citation Sovereign+ was launched, the list price of the original Citation Sovereign was $17.6 million. Compared to its counterparts, the average price range for a Citation Latitude in 2020 was between $17.0 million and $20.5 million for the midsize jet. The same year, a Citation Longitude cost between $26.5 million and $28 million for the super-midsize jet.
Photo: Flyexclusive
Aircraft utilization
According to the Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery Database, there are 444 Citation Sovereigns in service worldwide. Of those still in operation, 346 are the original Citation Sovereign model, and 98 are Sovereign+.
NetJets has 38 Citation Sovereigns in its fleet and plans to expand further. They plan to order 1,500 Cessna Citation aircraft into their fleet over the next 15 years, including the new Citation Ascend in 2025. They also have a Citation Longitude and Latitude fleet at the current time and own almost half of the current fleet. In 2018, NetJets ordered 175 Longitude from Textron Aviation.
In Conclusion
Although the Sovereign sold well after its initial introduction to the market, there has been a lot of competition in the midsize market, with the likes of the Bombardier Challenger 350 and the Embraer Legacy 450/500. At the lower end of the market, a Citation Sovereign can be bought for around $7 to $8 million.
You can pay up to $20 million at the higher end of the market. In terms of competition for sales, this puts the aircraft in the same range as the Citation XLS, a Dassault Falcon 50, a Gulfstream G200, or Bombardier Challenger 300.
However, the fact that Cessna’s product line was overlapping and there was a reduced demand for the Citation Sovereign did not help matters. The Citation Latitude and Longitude superseded the original aircraft and could not be compared regarding sales. Introduced in 2015, there were 340 Citation Latitude in service worldwide by 2023, and 80% were based in North America.
The Citation Sovereign survived a twenty-year tenure with the company before being phased out.
