Cessna Citation Excel Charter

The Cessna Citation Excel (Model 560XL) was Cessna's late-1990s mid-size answer — a stand-up cabin mid-size jet that combined the Citation V's fuselage with the Ultra's wing and Citation X-derived tail, powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545A turbofans. First delivery came in 1998. The XLS refresh arrived in 2004 with Pro Line 21 avionics and PW545B engines; the current XLS+ has been in production since 2008 with further avionics updates.

The original Excel and its XLS successor have sold over 1,100 units combined, making the 560XL family the best-selling mid-size business jet in history. For charter, the Excel is the mature, high-availability mid-size option — a workhorse of the North American and European fractional and on-demand fleets.

Cabin dimensions: 18 feet 6 inches long, 5 feet 6 inches wide and 5 feet 8 inches tall — full stand-up, flat floor throughout. Standard layout is an eight-passenger double-club with aft galley or seven-passenger club-four plus three-place divan. Cabin management on original Excels is dated; XLS and XLS+ examples feature updated Rockwell Collins Venue systems, LED lighting and, on some aircraft, Ka-band Wi-Fi retrofits.

Cabin altitude at FL450 is 7,000 ft. Baggage volume is 80 cubic feet in a heated external hold — excellent for the class. Lavatory is fully enclosed with vanity.

Twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545A engines (original Excel) deliver 3,804 pounds of thrust each. Maximum operating Mach is 0.75. Certified ceiling is FL450. NBAA IFR range with four passengers is 1,858 nautical miles — enough for New York to Denver, London to Athens, or Miami to Bermuda.

Balanced field length is 3,590 ft — excellent, opening up London City (subject to steep-approach), Aspen, Sun Valley and most European mountain airfields.

Charter hourly rates for the original Excel run $4,000–$5,200 in North America; €4,500–€6,000 in Europe. Empty-leg availability is broad because the fleet is very large. Indicative pricing: New York to Chicago from $10,000; London to Nice from £11,000; Miami to New York from $14,000.

Against the XLS+ (current production) the original Excel gives up avionics generation and modern cabin management at 15–20 per cent lower cost. Against the Hawker 800XP the Excel offers comparable cabin size, better runway performance and lower operating cost.

Charter the Citation Excel for eight-passenger short-to-medium mid-size missions where budget matters and short-field access is decisive. It remains the most reliable, most available and most cost-effective mid-size on the market.

Prefer the XLS+ for a modern cabin experience on the same airframe, or the Praetor 500 for a longer-legged flat-floor alternative.