Wichita, KS -- May 12, 2008 -- Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, will stage its complete line of current production business jets at the eighth annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) from May 20-22 at the Geneva Palexpo, adjacent to Geneva International Airport in Switzerland. The company's new, larger exhibit in Hall 7, Booth 7518, features more meeting space and finer amenities. An enlarged static display area includes all of Cessna's current production jets: Citation Mustang, Citation CJ1+, Citation CJ2+, Citation CJ3, Citation Encore+, Citation XLS, Citation Sovereign and Citation X. Also on exhibit will be the Cessna 400, 208B Grand Caravan and 206 Turbo Stationair. Additionally, Cessna will show an interior mockup of the new Citation Columbus, the long-range, large-cabin business jet launched earlier this year.
"Business jet orders outside the United States accounted for more than half of our total orders in 2007, and that trend has continued through the first quarter of this year," said Roger Whyte, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing for Cessna. "We are always eager to get in front of our international customers; our broad product range lends itself to individuals and companies with a variety of transportation needs. We're seeing especially strong demand in Eastern Europe, Russia and Germany, and we expect a very busy EBACE."
Cessna reported 235 total orders for Citations in the first three months of 2008. The company took a record 773 business jet orders in 2007.
The company plans to deliver 121 new business jets to Europe in 2008, adding to a European fleet of approximately 930 Citations. Worldwide Citation deliveries reached 387 in 2007, up from 307 in 2006 and an increase of 50 percent over 2005. Cessna plans to deliver 470 business jets by the end of 2008.
About Cessna Aircraft Company
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2007, Cessna delivered 1,272 aircraft, including 387 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5 billion. Cessna has a current backlog of $14.5 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 190,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered to nearly every country in the world. The global fleet of more than 5,100 Citations is the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, 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 release 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 our facilities or at our suppliers' facilities; [c] the timing of new product launches and certifications of new aircraft products; [d] the occurrence of slowdowns or downturns in customer markets in which our products are sold or supplied; [e] changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellation of orders; [f] the launching of significant new products or programs which could result in unanticipated expenses; [g] changes in national or international government policies on the export and import of commercial products; and [h] bankruptcy or other financial problems at major suppliers that could cause disruptions in our supply chain.