LAS VEGAS—Textron Aviation’s Cessna Citation Ascend midsize jet arrived in Las Vegas Oct. 13, making its global debut at NBAA-BACE 2025 at the Henderson Executive Airport, where it will be on static display.
“Certification is this close,” Ron Draper, Textron Aviation president and CEO, told reporters during a media briefing the eve before the opening of NBAA-BACE, holding his thumb and forefinger closely together. Certification and entry into service is expected by the end of 2025.
The company announced the nine-passenger Ascend a year ago with NetJets its launch customer. Since then, it has amassed more than 1,000 flight hr. Its arrival to Las Vegas comes a month after the company celebrated rollout of the first production Ascend at its Wichita facilities.
“We asked our customers what they wanted in this iconic aircraft, and our teams worked to bring their vision for the Citation Ascend to life,” said Lannie O’Bannion, Textron Aviation senior vice president of sales and marketing. “With the aircraft making its debut at NBAA-BACE, visitors can see the new Garmin G5000 cockpit and experience the sleek new interior features including a flat floor, larger windows and wireless cabin management system.”
The Ascend is the latest edition of the Citation Excel and XLS family of aircraft. Enhancements include Garmin G5000 avionics, 15% larger windows, a new interior, flat cabin floor, full-size airstair, an externally serviceable lavatory, Gogo’s Galileo HDX optional connectivity service, unattended APU, 19 USB ports in the cabin larger and deeper cupholders, new lighting, all-new seats and other features.
