Seating
Eight in a double club, nine with the belted lavatory seat on shorter legs.
Cessna Citation X+ Private Jet Charter
The fastest business jet Cessna built, at up to Mach 0.935: for travellers who measure a trip in minutes saved rather than inches of headroom.
Bank transfer or cryptoHow a super-midsize jet is priced.
Photo: Alan Wilson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Passengers
- 8 to 9, up to 12
- Published range
- About 3,408 nm
- Speed
- Up to Mach 0.935
- Cabin height
- 5 ft 8 in
- Baggage
- 82 cu ft
- Category
- Super-midsize jet
Super-midsize jet · Cessna (Textron Aviation)
Why charter a Citation X+
The Citation X and X+ are chosen for speed, cruising about 60 knots faster than a Challenger 350 and saving around half an hour on a five-hour flight.
Who it suits
A group of up to eight that values arriving first on coast-to-coast or Florida-to-West-Coast trips. It is at home at Teterboro, Van Nuys and Farnborough, and eastbound from New York with a light load it crosses to London without a stop. It became the fastest civil aircraft in service once Concorde retired.
Against its rivals
The Challenger 350, Praetor 600 and Citation Latitude are all slower. Pick the Challenger for a wider flat-floor cabin and a hold you can reach in flight, the Praetor for range and fly-by-wire, or the Latitude for a roomier six-foot cabin at a lower price on trips of up to about five hours.
Where it falls short
At 5 ft 6 in wide and 5 ft 8 in high on a dropped aisle, the cabin is narrower and lower than a Challenger 350's or even a Latitude's. It needs about 5,250 ft of runway, which rules out Aspen and resort strips. Most quotes are for the original X; the X+ is rare.
Citation X+ specifications
Published figures for the type. Seating, beds and connectivity vary with each aircraft's layout and operator, and we confirm them for the actual aircraft before you book.
| Specification | Citation X+ | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Super-midsize jet | |
| Passengers | 8 to 9 typical, up to 12 | |
| Published range | 3,408 nm | 6,310 km |
| Speed | Up to Mach 0.935; about 525 kn in typical cruise | 972 km/h |
| Cabin height | 5 ft 8 in | 1.73 m |
| Cabin width | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 m |
| Cabin length | 25 ft 2 in | 7.67 m |
| Baggage | 82 cu ft, heated, pressurised aft hold of 72 cu ft loaded from outside, plus a small utility compartment | 2.3 m³ |
| Take-off distance | 5,250 ft | 1,600 m |
| Crew | Two pilots | |
| Connectivity | US air-to-ground Wi-Fi on many aircraft; satellite Wi-Fi is less common on this type. Fit varies by operator | |
| In service | 2014 (X+); the original Citation X from 1996 |
Range as published: Textron's maximum range for the X+ at certification, with a light load; AOPA's flight test gives about 2,850 nm with maximum payload, and the original Citation X has less. On the day it depends on passengers and luggage, winds, the airports, temperature and the reserves the operator carries.
Sources: Textron Aviation: Citation X+ certification, AOPA Pilot: Citation X+, Airport Technology: Citation X+ (cabin, baggage), Wikipedia: Cessna Citation X.
Inside the Citation X+
The usual layout is a double club, often with a side-facing divan in place of one pair, a galley forward and a lavatory aft with a belted seat for a ninth passenger. The X+ of 2014 added 15 in of cabin, mostly legroom, plus LED lighting and touchscreen controls; only a few dozen were built before 2018, against about 300 original Xs.
Headroom
5 ft 8 in along a dropped aisle; seats sit on raised ledges.
Baggage
A heated, pressurised 72 cu ft aft hold loaded from outside, plus a small utility compartment, 82 cu ft in all.
Galley
A forward galley with space for cold and some hot catering, depending on the aircraft.
Speed
Up to Mach 0.935, with a typical cruise of about 525 knots.
Citation X+ range in practice
Textron quoted 3,408 nm as the X+'s maximum range; AOPA's flight test found about 2,850 nm with maximum payload, and the original X has less. With eight aboard and luggage, plan on five to six hours at high speed: the US coast to coast either way, Florida to the West Coast, and New York to London eastbound with a light load. Westbound across the Atlantic, plan a stop.
Speed costs fuel, so on the longest legs the crew may slow down to stretch the range, and the advantage narrows. Summer heat at airports such as Las Vegas trims the load.
- Non-stop New York to Miami, about 2 hours 20 Teterboro to Opa-locka, noticeably quicker than slower jets.
- Non-stop Los Angeles to New York, about 4 hours 15 Eastbound with the jet stream, the trip the aircraft was built for.
- Non-stop Miami to Las Vegas, about 4 hours 40 Within range with a full cabin.
- Non-stop New York to Los Angeles, about 5 hours 15 Westbound with eight aboard.
- Usually non-stop New York to London, about 6 hours 15 Eastbound with four to six; a full cabin in winter may need a stop.
- One fuel stop London to New York, about 8 hours 15 Westbound into the jet stream, usually via Canada or Iceland.
Routes and destinations for the Citation X+
Trips this aircraft flies well, each with its own page: the airports at both ends, flight times and indicative prices by cabin.
Popular routes
- New York to MiamiWell under three hours, faster than any other super-midsize.
- New York to Los AngelesNon-stop coast to coast with a full cabin.
- Miami to Las VegasNon-stop in under five hours.
- New York to DallasAbout three hours, with the speed to make it a day trip.
- New York to LondonEastbound with a light load, often non-stop; a full cabin makes a stop likely.
Destinations and events
- Private jet to Los AngelesFive airports take private flights into Los Angeles, and the right one follows where you are staying: Van Nuys for the Westside, Burbank for the hills, John Wayne for Newport Beach.
- Private jet to Las VegasForty-five minutes from Los Angeles, five hours from the East Coast, and a car to the Strip ten minutes after wheels down.
- Private jet to MiamiThree airports take private flights into Miami, and Opa-locka puts you twenty minutes from Brickell and South Beach with customs on the field.
- Private jet to New YorkFour airports take private flights into New York, and Teterboro puts you twenty-five minutes from Midtown.
Citation X+ charter cost
The Citation X often prices slightly below a Challenger 350 for the same hours, because the aircraft are older and the cabin smaller. It burns more fuel an hour, which operators pass on, but flies fewer hours for the same trip, so coast to coast the totals often come out close. The X+ is scarce; an original X from a good operator gives most of the speed, and we price the two side by side.
As a guide, super-midsize jets charter at about $6,500 to $9,000 an hour for the aircraft, crew and fuel. Positioning, airport charges, overnight costs and the season are added for the trip, and the quote is one figure in writing.
Aircraft comparable to the Citation X+
When the Citation X+ is not available on your dates, or the trip asks for something slightly different, these are the aircraft we would put beside it.
Cessna Citation X+
A Citation X+ for your dates
Tell us the route, the dates and how many are flying. We check which Citation X+s are available near your departure, send priced options with photographs of each aircraft, and suggest a comparable type when that serves the trip better.
Photo: Airwolfhound, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Frequently asked questions
How fast is the Citation X+?
Its maximum operating speed is Mach 0.935, and it typically cruises at about 525 knots. That is some 60 knots faster than a Challenger 350's typical cruise, which saves around half an hour on a coast-to-coast flight.
What is the difference between the Citation X and the Citation X+?
The X+ of 2014 has a cabin 15 in longer, upgraded engines, Garmin avionics, winglets and a little more range. Only a few dozen were built, so most charter aircraft of the type are the original Citation X, built from 1996 to 2012.
How many passengers does a Citation X+ seat?
Eight in the usual double-club layout, nine with the belted lavatory seat. Cessna certified up to twelve, but no layout we would recommend for charter uses that many.
What is the range of the Citation X+?
Textron quoted a maximum of 3,408 nm, and AOPA's flight test about 2,850 nm with a full payload. With eight aboard, plan on five to six hours of flying: coast to coast in either direction, and New York to London eastbound with a light load.
Can you stand up in a Citation X+?
Most people can along the dropped centre aisle, which is 5 ft 8 in high. The cabin is 5 ft 6 in wide, narrower than a Challenger 350 or Praetor 600, so it feels more like a long midsize than a wide super-midsize.
Can a Citation X+ fly into Aspen?
We would not propose one. It needs about 5,250 ft of runway at maximum weight at sea level and more at altitude, and Aspen's mountain approach suits types with better field performance such as the Challenger 350 or Praetor 600.
Request a Citation X+ quote
Where from, where to, the dates and how many are flying. We come back with priced Citation X+ options and comparable aircraft, usually the same day.