Summary

  • The introduction of Citation X changed the old Cessna business jet image to be among the fastest in the world.
  • Used Citation X prices range from around $5-11 million, depending on age and flight hours.
  • Annual operation costs for owning a Citation X can vary from $1-2 million, including variable and fixed costs.

Cessna is well known throughout the world as one of the top original equipment manufacturers (OEM) of aircraft. Its long list of successfully built aircraft includes its single-engine high-wing aircraft, like the most produced aircraft ever, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and other turboprop-powered aircraft, like the currently produced Cessna Grand Caravan.

Cessna 172 Skyhawk air-to-air photo (thumbnail)

Photo: Textron Aviation

However, Cessna is also widely known for producing business jets, which fall under the Citation family of aircraft. Originally, Cessna introduced its first business jet in the early 1970s. Since then, the Citation family has become widely known as a dominant force in light and midsize cabin jet categories.

However, Cessna Citation jets were not always known as the fast and far-reaching private jets that they are today. In the early Citation days, Cessna business jets were considered slower and bulkier yet easier to maneuver. Many compared Cessna business jets to Learjets, which were also based in Wichita, Kansas, and were originally much faster.

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What Is The Top Speed Of The Cessna Citation X?

The fastest business jet in the world?

Cessna broke this image by introducing Citation X, which was the flagship Citation jet of the late 1990s and early 2000s. This midsize business jet would become one of the fastest business jets in the world and set speed records consistently throughout its existence. The Citation X was originally introduced in 1996 and ceased production in 2018. Let’s take a closer look at what these powerful business jets sell for in today’s market. Let’s also take a closer look at some of the notable design features that made this aircraft so special.

Sale prices in 2024

As previously mentioned, the Citation X was first introduced in 1996. Cessna then introduced an upgraded variant of the Citation X in 2010 called the Citation X+. Eventually, in 2018, Cessna ceased production of the Citation X altogether. Because of this, Textron Aviation, the parent company of Cessna, no longer sells new Citation X business jets. Therefore, the Citation Xs and Citation X+s market are all used business jets.

A FlyExclusive Cessna 750 Citation X about to land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Photo: lorenzatx | Shutterstock

Obviously, aircraft from the late 1990s are older and, therefore, most likely cheaper than the newer Citation Xs from the 2000s or even the Citation X+s from the 2010s. The price of the aircraft also ranges depending on how much total time the aircraft has flown. It also varies depending on how many total landings the aircraft has performed.

Taking into account all of these factors, at the time of this writing, Global Air lists the average asking price for a Citation X at just under $6 million, for a total of $5,795,000. Liberty Jet lists the purchase prices for a Citation X, which range from $4,995,000 to $11,595,000. Finally, Evo Jets mentions that Citation Xs typically sell for $9-10 million. The more expensive jets are most likely the upgraded variants. This wide range of prices ranges from highly used business jets that may have accrued thousands of hours of flight time to newer business jets that are just over five years old with limited flight hours.

A Cessna Citation X flying in the sky.Operating costs

In addition to purchasing the midsize business jet, operators and owners must also consider the operating costs that accrue annually depending on the number of hours flown. The annual cost depends on variable costs, which change depending on the number of hours flown, and fixed costs, which are charged as an annual or recurring cost.

The variable costs include the following charges:

  • Fuel costs per gallon, which average about $7.23 per gallon
  • Maintenance costs
  • Engine overhaul
  • Landing charges
  • Handling costs

Besides these costs, which are determined based on the hours flown, there are fixed costs. Fixed costs include:

  • Crew payments
  • Crew training costs
  • Hangar rental
  • Insurance payments
  • Jet/ fleet management

According to Liberty Jet, the cost of owning the Citation X can range from just over $1 million to over $2 million annually. The lower end of the range, about $1.2 million, averages about 200 flying hours per year. The higher end, which averages about 400 flying hours annually, is barely over $2 million.

Design features and performance

The Citation X was mostly designed as a clean-sheet aircraft. However, Cessna utilized the same cross-section as the Citation III, Citation VI, and the Citation VII. The newly introduced business jet also utilized a highly swept wing that was manufactured as a single piece. Because of this, the wing was installed under the fuselage instead of through it, like previous Citation jets.

A Cessna Citation X on an airport apron.

Photo: Renatas Repcinskas | Shutterstock

The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce AE 3007C turbofan engines, which provide up to 6,700 pounds of force of thrust. In addition to the powerful engines and newly designed wings, later models also included winglets to assist performance measures. The Citation X had the following specifications:

Specification

Citation X

Citation X+

Length

72.53 feet

73 feet seven inches

Height

19.2 feet

19 feet three inches

Wingspan

63.6 feet

69 feet two inches

Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW)

36,100 pounds

36,600 pounds

Range

3,460 nautical miles (3,981 miles)

3,460 nautical miles (3,981 miles)

Maximum speed

Mach 0.92 (706 miles per hour)

Mach 0.935 (717 miles per hour)

Cruise speed

528 knots (607 miles per hour)

528 knots (607 miles per hour)

Originally, Citation Xs were manufactured and introduced with the Honeywell Primus 2000 EFIS avionics suite, which has a glass cockpit and five large CRT screens. When the Citation X+ was introduced, the aircraft utilized the Garmin G5000 avionics system.

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