Cessna targets Chinese Citation X+ and Sovereign+ certification for early 2015

Cessna says it is on track to receive Chinese certification for both the Citation X+ and Sovereign+ during the first quarter of 2015.

Cessna received US FAA certification for the Cessna Sovereign+ in December 2013 and for the Citation X+ in June 2014.

The FAA’s online register currently shows that there are around 10 Citation X+ and around 30 Sovereign+s currently in operation.

“Both the Citation X+ and Sovereign+ are extremely well-suited for the China market as they combine excellent performance, large cabin comfort, and superb acquisition and operating costs,” said Scott Ernest, president and CEO of Textron Aviation. “They both have a range in excess of 3,000 nautical miles, which means the whole of Asia is one flight away.”

China’s Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Financial Leasing (SPDBFL) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bombardier that could see the Chinese bank provide financing for the Canadian manufacturers clients.

The $500 million fund will be available to both commercial and business aircraft customers, and covers advance payment financing, delivery financing and leasing solutions.

Bombardier will be hoping that the fund will help to attract further customers within China.

Striking workers blocking the doors at Embraer’s Sao Jose dos Campos metalworking facility are stopping Embraer from performing “critical operations”‘ such as processing bills and delivering aircraft, according to a statement from Embraer.

The strike, originally declared to last an “indefinite” period of time, saw operations halt at Embraer’s main production plant on Wednesday 5 November when 2,000 workers put down their tools. By the next day, the total number of strikers had reached 10,000, over 75 per cent of Embraer’s 13,000 total workforce.