Cessna Goes Large In Paris

Cessna will next week display a full-scale mockup of its newest large-cabin, long-range business jet concept, dubbed the LCC, at the 47th International Paris Air Show. Since last year at NBAA, when the concept was announced and the LCC mockup was unveiled, Cessna has gauged market demand and formulated a preliminary design that “would set a new standard for performance, cabin comfort, passenger amenities and environmental friendliness,” according to Cessna. The mockup outsizes Cessna’s Sovereign and Citation X models with a nine-pass enger layout with a “large galley and toilet.” Many details, including any decision on specific suppliers of avionics and engines, have not yet been defined, but the mockup going to Paris will display a “representative flight deck.” The company says it has received “extremely positive reaction” to the performance parameters and cabin design of the LCC, but that “a final decision on whether to launch the aircraft is still a ways off.” Cessna President, Chairman and CEO Jack Pelton said orders from outside the U.S. for Cessna aircraft are strong, noting, “I think the resurgence of the business jet display at Le Bourget is the logical response to the dramatic growth of the worldwide market for business aircraft in the last few years.” Cessna’s Paris Air Show display will include the Citation CJ2+, Encore+, XLS, and Sovereign business jets, as well as a Grand Caravan, 206 Stationair, and 172 Skyhawk.