Cessna Citation Excel / XLS

Cessna / Textron Aviation · USA · first flew 1996 · transport aircraft

The Citation Excel combined the wide, stand-up cabin cross-section of the Citation Sovereign with the wing and tail of the Citation V to create a midsize bizjet with outstanding cabin volume for its class.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, tail-mounted
F — Fuselage	Citation Sovereign-style fuselage cross-section grafted onto Citation V-series wings and tail gives a stocky, purposeful look with relatively short wings
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Distinctive wide, flat-floor stand-up cabin on a midsize airframe — the Citation Excel is noticeably wider in cross-section than the CJ series or Citation Encore
Citation Sovereign-style fuselage cross-section grafted onto Citation V-series wings and tail gives a stocky, purposeful look with relatively short wings
Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545 engines in compact rear nacelles; no winglets on original Excel, optional blended winglets on XLS+

Versus the CJ series the Excel is noticeably wider-bodied and heavier-looking; versus the Citation Sovereign it is shorter with a less elegant taper. The stubby wing relative to fuselage length gives the Excel a distinctively compact silhouette.

Specifications

The Cessna Citation Excel / XLS has a length of 16 m (52 ft).
It has a wingspan of 16.9 m (55 ft).
Its maximum speed is 833 km/h (518 mph).
Typical crew: 2 flight crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in February 1996 and certified in 1998, the Excel addressed the market gap between the light Citation V/Encore and the full-size Citation X. The XLS (2004) added winglet options and updated avionics; the XLS+ (2008) introduced PW545C engines and Garmin G5000 avionics, making it one of the best-selling mid-size bizjets of its era.

Variants

The family runs Excel, XLS and XLS+; all share the same basic airframe with progressive powerplant and avionics improvements. The XLS+ remains in widespread service.

Where you'll see it

Ubiquitous in European bizjet charter, with heavy representation at Farnborough, Luton and Geneva; the wide cabin makes it a popular choice for passenger comfort on short-to-medium European legs.

Related aircraft

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