Geneva, Switzerland - May 21, 2007 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, is exhibiting a full-scale fuselage mock-up of its large cabin business jet concept (LCC) this week at the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE).
“This is the first time we've had the LCC mock-up at a show outside the U.S., so this gives us a great opportunity to gather customer input from a European perspective,” said Roger Whyte, Cessna senior vice president, Sales & Marketing.
The mock-up features seating for nine passengers, a large galley and toilet, and a representative flight deck. Specific features such as avionics and engine suppliers and final interior arrangements will not be defined unless Cessna launches the program.
“We are working step by step through Cessna's proven new product evaluation and development process. The results of initial wind tunnel testing have fully met our expectations and much preliminary design work has been completed,” Whyte said. “We have received extremely positive reaction to the performance parameters as well the cabin design of the proposed aircraft from our customer base. There are still a number of process gates to go through before we will be in a position to take a final decision on whether to launch the aircraft.”
Cessna is considering the LCC as an addition to its extensive business jet product range, giving customers needing long range and large cabin volume an option above the Citation Sovereign or Citation X.
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2006, Cessna delivered 1,239 aircraft, including 307 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $4.2 billion and a backlog of $8.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 189,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of almost 5,000 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
Textron Inc. is an $11 billion multi-industry company operating in 32 countries with approximately 40,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.
Forward-looking Information: Certain statements in this report are forward-looking statements and speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the statements, including but not limited to the following: [a] changes in worldwide economic and political conditions that impact demand for our products, interest rates and foreign exchange rates; [b] the interruption of production at Textron facilities or Textron's customers or suppliers; [c] the occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which Textron products are sold or supplied or where Textron Financial offers financing; and [d] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders.