Cessna Sold Out for 2000 and 2001

Cessna closed out the third quarter with an order backlog of $6.1 billion, up from $5.3 billion at the end of 1999.

Deliveries are completely sold out for this year and for 2001, and some models are sold out several years into the future.

"We are doing everything possible to shorten the lead time for availability," Cessna CEO Gary Hay said here Monday. But he said too that "an impressive number of customers have demonstrated a willingness to wait for a new Citation."

"By the level of orders being placed, customers are continuing to demonstrate confidence in our aircraft," said Cessna president and COO Charlie Johnson. And Cessna, he said, is developing new ones. "New product development is a key strategy," Johnson said. "With the Sovereign program progressing as planned, and the recent certification of the Citation CJ1, CJ2 and Encore, we could not be more pleased with our lineup of current and future products."

There are more than 3,100 Cessna Citations in service. As noted by Johnson, the CJ1, CJ2 and Encore gained their FAA certifications this year. A block change to the flagship Citation X will yield more power for better range-payload performance, allowing access to shorter-runway airports. The Citation VII is close out this year with a total of 119 aircraft built, but will be replaced by the Citation Excel and new, large-cabin Citation Sovereign.

Construction of the first Sovereign airframe, a static test article, is underway. A flying prototype begins Wichita assembly in early in 2001 with first flight now slated for late in the first quarter of 2002. Sovereign certification is expected in late 2003, and deliveries will start in early 2004. The aircraft will have twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306C engines and Honeywell Primus Epic avionics.

All of Cessna's Citation jet, Caravan and single engine piston aircraft are on display at Lakefront this week.

By Rich Piellisch