Book a Citation Excel
Citation Excel
Midsize jet
The Citation Excel is one of the world’s most popular business jets, famous for creating the "light-midsize" category. It uniquely combines a full stand-up cabin with the short-runway capability and operating efficiency of a light jet. Its spacious interior offers midsize comfort and flexibility rarely seen in its class.
The Midsize Bridge
Overview
The Cessna Citation Excel (Model 560XL) was first certified in April 1998, fundamentally redefining the business jet market by creating the "light-midsize" category. The Excel is a unique and brilliantly successful hybrid, engineered to combine the comfort of a midsize jet with the operational economics and access of a light jet.
Its groundbreaking design involved blending key components from three different Citation airframes: the fuselage cross-section was borrowed from the wide, stand-up Citation X (though shortened), and mated with the straight wing from the Citation V Ultra, all powered by new Pratt & Whitney PW545A turbofan engines.
The primary passenger-facing innovation was the lowered cabin floor, which delivered true standing headroom of 5,7 feet (68 inches), a first for a jet of its size and the key factor in its commercial success. The powerful PW545A engines and the straight wing maintain the excellent short-field performance Citation owners expect, allowing the Excel to access smaller, more convenient regional airports. The combination of stand-up comfort, high utility, and superior operational cost-effectiveness made the Excel an instant best-seller and the benchmark for its class.
The Stand-Up Difference: Midsize Comfort, Light Jet Access
Luxury interior
By structurally lowering the cabin floor, it provides true standing headroom, ensuring easy movement and superior comfort. The wide, 18.6-foot-long cabin and double-club seating create a spacious, highly productive environment for up to nine passengers.
True Stand-Up Cabin
The Excel features 5,7 feet of cabin height, the first jet in its class to offer true standing headroom. This dramatically enhances passenger comfort and mobility throughout the entire 18-foot cabin.
Wide-Body Executive Seating
Inheriting width from the Citation X design, the cabin comfortably seats 8-9 passengers in a spacious double-club configuration. The generous 5,5 ft width optimizes shoulder room and personal space.
Unrivaled Cargo Utility
The Excel offers a massive 90 cubic feet of total baggage space, accessible in flight. This ample capacity, combined with its short-field performance, ensures you can maximize both payload and airport access.
Key Specifications & Performance
Technical Characteristics
The Citation Excel delivers true mid-size comfort with the operational efficiency and short-field capability of a light jet.
Performance
Maximum Cruise Speed
432 knots (800 km/h)
Maximum Range
1,858 nautical miles (3,441 km)
Service Ceiling
45,000 feet (13,716 m)
Takeoff Distance
3,590 feet (1,094 m)
Landing Distance
3,180 feet (969 m)
Rate of Climb
3,790 feet/minute (1,155 meters/minute)
Capacity
Passengers
Up to 9 (Typical configuration is 8)
Crew
2 (Pilot & Co-Pilot)
Cabin Volume
461 cubic feet (13.05 cubic meters)
Cabin Dimensions
Length: 18,7 ft (5,66 m)
Width: 5,5 ft (1.65 m)
Height: 5,7 ft (1.70 m)
Fuel & Engines
Fuel Capacity
6,740 pounds (3,057 kg)
Engines
2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545A
Twin turbofans specifically designed for the Excel to provide high thrust and high-altitude performance while prioritizing fuel efficiency.
Thrust (each)
3,804 pounds of thrust (16.92 kN)
Cargo & Access
Cargo Door Size
Class-leading capacity achieved through a large external compartment (80 cu ft) and a smaller internal compartment. The external area is heated and pressurized for sensitive items.
Baggage Compartment
90 cubic feet (2.55 cubic meters)
Approximately 10–12 standard suitcases or medium bags.
Digital Safety & Operational Mastery
Key feature
The Citation Excel achieves a critical balance between high-utility performance and robust safety measures, assuring passengers of a reliable, secure, and highly efficient flight every time. These two features define the aircraft's superiority in operational simplicity and logistical capability.
Short-Field Access with Maximum Baggage
Performance & Technical Excellence
The Citation Excel is engineered as a true logistical workhorse, seamlessly combining excellent airport access with class-leading capacity. It retains the Citation pedigree for excellent short-field performance, requiring as little as 3,590 feet for takeoff, a crucial advantage that allows the jet to operate from numerous smaller, more convenient regional airfields that are inaccessible to many midsize jet competitors. Crucially, it pairs this access with a class-leading 90 cubic feet of total baggage volume. This ample capacity (the largest available in its class) ensures that all passengers can carry full luggage, golf bags, or essential equipment without compromise. This pairing of access and cargo space maximizes mission utility, guaranteeing flexibility and convenience for complex corporate or leisure itineraries that demand both restricted airport access and high payload.
FADEC Engine Control and Redundancy
Safety & Operational Advantage
The Citation Excel and its successors (XLS/XLS+) are built around advanced safety systems that minimize pilot workload and maximize engine health.The aircraft is powered by the highly reliable Pratt & Whitney PW545-series turbofan engines, which are equipped with sophisticated Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) in later models (or similar EEC in the original Excel).FADEC automates engine performance, protecting against exceeding operational limits and providing optimized efficiency and power delivery.This digital control system drastically reduces the risk of human error, the leading cause of incidents.Furthermore, the robust twin-engine configuration provides built-in redundancy, ensuring continued performance and safe landing capability even in the unlikely event of an engine failure. This commitment to advanced digital engine management and dual-engine reliability assures the highest level of operational safety.
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