Cessna Takes Orders for Aircraft Worth $1 Billion-plus at NBAA

Cessna Aircraft adds $1 billion in orders to the 30 Citation Mustangs announced at the beginning of the three-day National Business Aircraft Association convention. It booked 178 new aircraft orders valued at more than $1 billion including 101 Citations, 59 Caravans, 13 single-engine pistons and five SkyCatchers. These orders were in addition to those announced at the opening-day press conference for 30 Citation Xs from XOJET from an unnamed European charter company.
"The significant aspects of this show were that we had tremendous success across the range of products - from SkyCatcher to Citation X - and that the international market continues to expand," said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Cessna. "I think this is strong proof the recent bullish forecasts on global business jet sales are right on target."
The most popular Cessna aircraft at NBAA were the CJ3 and the XLS+. Fifty-seven of the 101 Citation orders logged at the show, as well as those announced at the opening, were included in the company's $11.9 billion September 30 backlog, while 44 will enter into backlog during the fourth quarter as contracts are completed.
Caravan sales also continue to be strong. Cessna announced at the show a new avionics suite for the Caravan - the Garmin G1000 - and an increase in annual production, up to 120 aircraft, to meet the increased demand.
Cessna also continued to gauge interest in its Large Cabin Concept aircraft on display at the company's exhibit. It expects to make a decision on whether to proceed with the project in early 2008. "All indications point to a strong business case for this new model, which would be our largest aircraft in the Citation family," Whyte said.