When Cessna introduced the mid-sized Latitude at last year’s NBAA convention in Las Vegas, much of the hallway discussion was about its relatively modest range of 2,000 nm. Cessna apparently heard that chatter and a few months after the convention boosted the range to 2,300 nm, matching that of the Embraer 450. At LABACE in Sao Paulo last week the company added another 200 nm to the Latitude’s range, making it among the most long-legged in its segment.
“As we talked with more customers, getting to 2,500 nautical miles was imperative,” said Bob Gibbs, Cessna’s VP of sales for South America. The Latitude is a direct challenge to Embraer’s entry into that category of bizjet and much of the attention was devoted to cabin features that include a six-foot ceiling and 77-inch width, which Cessna says is the widest it has ever built. There is also a stand-up lav with sink and closet.
