Why this private jet is a champion for private flights:
Because, although it’s much older than its competitors, its operational cost is roughly 15% cheaper. See the table below.
The Cessna Citation Mustang 510 was a very promising pocket jet when it was launched in July 2002. At that moment it seemed like personal jets, which could easily be piloted by their owner, were all the rage. Some jet manufacturer were even forecasting that smaller jets would replace turboprop. Indeed, in the field of regional carriers, Embraer et Bombardier with their smaller jets had already grounded ATR’s turboprops. So Cessna introduced this small private jet capable of carrying at most five passengers, very light, economical and well equipped.
What’s more, this small private jet has an exercise cost 15% lower than that of its direct competitors Embraer Phenom 100E and HondaJet, which are faster. See the table below.
| PLANE | CATEG. | COST PER HOUR | SEATS | MAX. TAKE-OFF W. | MAX. range | MAX SP.
knots |
N. OF ENG. | ENGINE MODEL | ENGINE MANUFAC. |
| Cessna Citation Mustang | Jets VLJ | $1,015 | 4 | 8645 | 800 | 340 | 2 | PW615F | Pratt & Whitney Canada |
| Cirrus Vision SF50 | Jets VLJ | $661 | 4 | 6000 | 0 | 300 | 1 | FJ33-5A | Williams |
| Embraer Phenom 100E | Jets VLJ | $1,151 | 5 | 10582 | 1045 | 390 | 2 | PW617F-E | Pratt & Whitney Canada |
| Honda Aircraft HA-420 HondaJet | Jets VLJ | $1,134 | 5 | 9963 | 0 | 420 | 2 | HF120 | GE Honda |
The jet mania was taking over. Then the 2008 financial crisis struck hard, and very small, personal jets saw their sales decline.
After a production time of almost 12 years and more than 475 machines delivered, the production of the smallest aircraft of the Citation family was completed.
Citation Mustang private jet features
Cheaper than the competition
The cabin of the Citation Mustang, twelve meters long, can accommodate four passengers. A fifth can fly in the cockpit instead of the second pilot. With a unit price of less than $ 3.5 million, it was also suitable for businesses and individuals with limited budgets. The Citation Mustang was therefore among the comparable competitors Embraer Phenom 100 and Hondajet.
The replacement: Businessjet Citation M2
So Cessna introduced a new, bigger private jet to replace the Mustang. Cessna’s new entry-level Businessjet Citation M2 is faster and bigger than the Mustang, but can also start from short tracks. After its launch in 2013, sales of the Citation Mustang collapsed. In four years already, about 150 copies of the M2 have been delivered. This despite a sale price about a million dollars higher.