Cessna Aircraft Company, a subsidiary of Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of the maiden flight of the Model 525 CitationJet prototype, the aircraft that would become the foundation of the light jet segment.

The maiden flight took place on April 29, 1991 with deliveries starting two years later. Innovation in the 525 line has been a constant, with 8 platforms certified. The CJ family continues to outperform the competition with its proven performance, reliability and versatility. Cessna has delivered more than 1,800 Model 525 aircraft, including the current production M2, CJ3+ and CJ4, making the CJ line the best-selling light jet series in the world.

“We’re closing in on 2,000 Model 525s delivered to customers around the globe; nearly three times that of our nearest competitor,” said Kriya Shortt, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “We continue to innovate in this segment, driving significant investment in our products based on our customers’ evolving mission requirements.”

Leading the light jet segment
Cessna created and continues to lead the light jet segment, with more than 4,900 light jets around the world, offering customers the broadest range of products on the market. From the popular entry level Citation Mustang and Citation M2 jets, to the upgraded efficiency and comfort of the CJ3+ and the top performing CJ4, Cessna’s Citation family of light business jets has evolved to offer a range of capabilities, systems and options unmatched in its class.

Cessna’s Citation series of jets are the most popular line of business jets ever produced, with more than 6,900 jets that have been designed, manufactured and delivered to customers around the world. Citations are the largest fleet of business jets in the world and have surpassed 31 million flight hours.