Super Midsize Jet
Cessna Citation X+ charter
The Cessna Citation X+ is a super midsize jet built by Textron Aviation (Cessna, Beechcraft) with a published range of about 3,460 nm, typically carrying 8–9 passengers.
Unverified Specifications source: Cleared: not stated by the source checked (Wikipedia: Cessna Citation X, Specifications table (X+) and production history); left empty rather than keeping a demo value (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_Citation_X); Wikipedia: Cessna Citation X, Specifications table (X+) and production history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_Citation_X); Cleared: not stated by the source checked (Wikipedia: Cessna Citation X, Specifications table (X+) and production history); left empty rather than keeping a demo value (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_Citation_X)
- Range
- 3,460 nm
- published, not practical
- Cruise
- 527 kt
- Passengers
- 8–9
- max 12 certified
- Cabin (H × W × L)
- Not yet verified
- Baggage
- Not yet verified
- In production
- No
Where the Cessna Citation X+ can fly nonstop
Screened against our route set with a practical-range margin.
Of 104 city pairs we cover, the Cessna Citation X+ can typically fly 85 nonstop.
| Route | Distance | Range |
|---|---|---|
| New York – Dubai | 5,951 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| London – Los Angeles | 4,718 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| Geneva – Aspen | 4,543 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| New York – São Paulo | 4,162 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| London – Aspen | 4,140 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| Hong Kong – Sydney | 3,993 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| London – Miami | 3,823 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| Nice – New York | 3,464 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| Geneva – New York | 3,352 nm | Fuel stop likely |
| London – Washington, D.C. | 3,179 nm | Nonstop in good conditions |
Cessna Citation X+ charter cost
Charter pricing for super midsize jets in our model runs US$6,000–US$8,500 per flight hour Estimate. Individual aircraft vary with age, interior, operator and base. This is the cost to charter, not to buy.
Riyadh to London: about 5 h 50 min, US$56,000–US$79,000 one way.
Dubai to Geneva: about 5 h 50 min, US$56,000–US$79,000 one way.
Dubai to Nice: about 5 h 40 min, US$54,000–US$77,000 one way.
Other super midsize jets
| Aircraft | Range | Passengers | Baggage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Challenger 350 | 3,200 nm | 8–9 | — |
| Cessna Citation X+ | 3,460 nm | 8–9 | — |
| Cessna Citation Longitude | 3,500 nm | 8–9 | 112 cu ft |
| Gulfstream G280 | 3,600 nm | 8–9 | — |
| Embraer Praetor 600 | 4,018 nm | 8–9 | 155 cu ft |
The Citation X: a fast jet with a midsize cabin
The Citation X is the aircraft you choose when time in the air matters more than width in the cabin. Cessna designed the Model 750 around speed. For years it was among the fastest civil aircraft flying, and the later Citation X+ cruises at more than 520 knots, noticeably quicker than most of its rivals. It seats eight or nine passengers in a long, fairly narrow cabin and has the range for coast-to-coast trips in the United States and for flights between the Gulf and Europe. It is a specialist: excellent at covering distance quickly, less generous with headroom, elbow room and luggage space than other jets at a similar price.
The facts strip, the nonstop screening table, the cost section and the peer table above hold the data. Our dataset figures are published manufacturer or public figures, not independently verified. Where we cite a published reference for a figure our dataset lacks, we say so.
We are a charter broker. We do not own or operate the Citation X or any other aircraft. We ask licensed operators for suitable aircraft, compare their offers and coordinate the trip. You can read how that works on the JetPriceCheck homepage.
How fast is the Citation X?
Speed is the reason this aircraft exists, so it is worth being precise about what it means for a passenger.
According to Wikipedia's Citation X article, the original Citation X entered service in the mid-1990s with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.92, meaning 92 percent of the speed of sound. The Citation X+ raised that to Mach 0.935. After Concorde retired, the Citation X was for many years the fastest civil aircraft in regular service, and the X+ briefly reclaimed that title after the Gulfstream G650 arrived. A Mach number is not a fixed speed in knots, because the speed of sound falls with temperature at altitude, which is why the brochure quotes both.
Our facts strip shows a cruise speed of 527 knots. Compared with the roughly 440 to 470 knots of midsize and many super midsize jets, that is 12 to 20 percent faster. In practice, using our model:
- New York to Los Angeles: about 4 h 45 min in the Citation X, against about 5 h 30 min in a Citation Latitude.
- New York to Aspen: about 3 h 30 min, against about 4 h 5 min in a Citation XLS.
- New York to Chicago: about 1 h 45 min, against about 2 h in the XLS.
On a one-hour trip the difference is a few minutes and not worth paying for. On a five-hour trip, it is up to an hour of your day, and on a same-day return it can decide whether you are home for dinner.
One caution: the aircraft flies at its fastest speed only when the operator chooses to. Faster cruise burns more fuel, and on long sectors an operator may fly slower to keep reserves or avoid a stop. Ask for the planned flight time with the quote, not the brochure figure.
Citation X and Citation X+: what changed
The Citation X+ is an update of the original design. By published accounts, it added winglets, uprated Rolls-Royce AE 3007 engines, a newer cockpit and a cabin about a foot longer, and it raised the published range to about 3,460 nautical miles, the figure in our facts strip. Older Citation X aircraft have somewhat less published range.
Production of the X+ has ended, as the facts strip shows, so every Citation X you charter is a used airframe. That is normal in charter, but it makes the specific aircraft's history important: interior refurbishment, connectivity upgrades and the year all vary a lot. When we present Citation X options, we ask operators for the year, the date of the last interior refit and recent photographs.
Citation X range: which trips it flies nonstop
"Citation x range" is one of the most searched questions about this aircraft, and the useful answer is not the brochure number but the list of trips. Our screening passes 85 of the 104 corridors we cover as nonstop for the Citation X, after a practical-range margin for winds, reserves and load. These are screening estimates; the operator confirms each trip for the date.
What the Citation X adds over midsize jets like the XLS:
- New York to Los Angeles and Miami to Los Angeles, the US coast-to-coast trips.
- New York to Las Vegas.
- Dubai to Geneva, Nice and Milan, and Rome and Zurich to Dubai.
- Riyadh to London.
These are four- to six-hour sectors, which is exactly where speed pays off. Westbound across the United States in winter, the jet stream can add a lot of headwind, so an operator may occasionally plan a stop even when the screening says nonstop.
What it does not reach reliably: London to New York, London to Dubai and Dubai to Paris come out as marginal in our screening, which means a stop is likely with a full load or strong winds. For dependable transatlantic flying, look at the Praetor 600 or a heavy jet. The private jet range guide explains how we separate nonstop, marginal and fuel-stop trips.
A second limit is runway. The Citation X's highly swept wing is built for speed, not short fields. It needs more runway than the straight-wing XLS, and at high or short airports such as Aspen, operators may restrict fuel or passengers, especially on hot days. The screening covers distance only; airport performance is checked by the operator.
Citation X interior: the narrow-cabin trade-off
The Citation X cabin is the main thing to understand before you book. It shares its cross-section with the Citation XLS family: about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 5 feet 6 inches wide, according to Wikipedia's Citation X article; our dataset has no cabin dimensions for it. The X+ cabin is long, with room for eight or nine seats in two seating areas. But it is not a stand-up cabin for most adults, and it is noticeably narrower than a Challenger 350 or a Citation Longitude.
Seating. A typical layout has a four-seat club at the front and a second club or a pair of seats with a side-facing divan behind it. Twelve seats are possible in published figures, but eight is the comfortable charter number and nine the practical maximum.
Galley and lavatory. Expect a forward galley for cold catering and hot drinks, and a private lavatory at the rear. Fitments vary between airframes.
Noise and ride. The Citation X cruises high and fast, above much of the weather on most days. Cabin noise and comfort depend on the airframe's soundproofing and refurbishment, which is another reason to ask about the specific aircraft.
Connectivity. Wi-Fi ranges from none to satellite systems. Ask before booking if you need it.
Baggage: plan carefully
Our dataset has no published baggage volume for the X+, and operators treat the hold as modest for the class. It is enough for a full cabin travelling light. It is tight for eight people with large suitcases, and a group ski trip may not fit at all. Send us a luggage list before you book; if the bags will not fit, a Challenger 350 or Praetor 600 is the answer.
Citation X vs the Challenger 350, Longitude and Praetor 600
The peer table above lists the other super midsize jets in our dataset. The choice usually comes down to speed against cabin.
| Citation X | Challenger 350 | Citation Longitude | Praetor 600 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise (dataset) | 527 kt | No figure | 483 kt | 466 kt |
| Published range (dataset) | 3,460 nm | 3,200 nm | 3,500 nm | 4,018 nm |
| Cabin | Narrow, near stand-up | Wide, stand-up | Stand-up, flat floor | Stand-up, flat floor |
| Baggage (dataset) | No figure | No figure | 112 cu ft | 155 cu ft |
| Best for | Fastest trips | Comfort and availability | Quiet, modern cabin | Longest range |
- The Challenger 350 is one of the most widely flown super midsize jets and has a wider, stand-up cabin. It is slower but more comfortable for a full group.
- The Citation Longitude is Textron's newer super midsize jet, with a stand-up flat-floor cabin and similar range. It is the natural step up within the Citation line.
- The Praetor 600 has the longest range of the group and the most baggage space.
Pick the Citation X when you are a small or mid-sized group travelling light on long domestic or regional sectors and the time saved matters. Pick one of the others when the group is full, the luggage is heavy, or cabin comfort matters more than an hour. Our super midsize jet charter overview compares the whole class.
Citation X charter cost
"Cost of a Cessna Citation X" can mean the purchase price of the aircraft or the cost to charter it. We only arrange charter.
Our pricing model, built on published market rates, places the Citation X in the super midsize band at USD 6,000 to 8,500 per flight hour, and the cost section above applies that to sample trips. Estimates from the same model, one way with an allowance for positioning:
- New York to Miami: about 2 h 25 min, roughly USD 23,000–32,500.
- New York to Los Angeles: about 4 h 45 min, roughly USD 46,000–64,000.
- Riyadh to London: about 5 h 50 min, roughly USD 56,000–79,000.
These are estimates, not quotes and not offers. Because the aircraft is fast, fewer hours are billed on long trips, which partly offsets the higher hourly band. In the real market, older Citation X airframes are sometimes priced below newer super midsize jets, so your quotes may show the X as the value option on long domestic trips. Our private jet cost guide explains the model.
What moves a real Citation X quote:
- Positioning: where the nearest aircraft is based and whether it flies home empty.
- Planned speed: a slower, fuel-saving cruise means more billed hours.
- Crew and overnight costs if the aircraft waits with you.
- Airport and handling fees.
- Peak dates: holidays, event weekends and ski season.
- Airframe year and interior.
Only a licensed operator's quote for a specific aircraft and date is firm. Citation X aircraft flying home after one-way trips can also appear as empty legs; our empty leg flights page explains how to use them when your dates are flexible.
Who the Citation X suits
It suits executives flying coast to coast and back within a day or two, small teams on four- to six-hour regional sectors such as the Gulf to southern Europe, and travellers who value the time saved over extra headroom. It suits less well families with a lot of luggage, groups who want to stand and move around on a long flight, and trips to short or high-altitude runways, where a straight-wing midsize jet or a stand-up super midsize jet is usually the better match.
How we arrange a Citation X charter
- Tell us the trip: dates, airports, passengers, luggage and any requests such as catering or Wi-Fi.
- We ask licensed operators for Citation X aircraft and, where they fit better, comparable super midsize jets.
- You compare options side by side: year, interior photographs, planned flight time, positioning and inclusions.
- You confirm on the operator's terms. The operator flies the trip; we coordinate.
- We stay with you through weather, slots and changes.
Browse flight times and estimates route by route in our private jet routes directory, or see every category in the aircraft guide. When you are ready, ask JetPriceCheck for a quote.
Citation X FAQ
How fast is a Cessna Citation X?
The Citation X+ has a published maximum operating speed of Mach 0.935, and our dataset lists a cruise speed of about 527 knots. That makes it faster than most business jets in its class.
What is the range of a Citation X?
The X+ has a published range of about 3,460 nautical miles. Practical range is lower once winds, reserves and a full load are included; our screening covers New York to Los Angeles nonstop but not London to New York.
How many seats does a Citation X have?
Up to twelve seats in published figures, but eight or nine is the practical charter number, with eight more comfortable on long trips.
Can you stand up in a Citation X?
Most adults cannot stand fully upright. The cabin is about 5 feet 8 inches tall by Wikipedia's figure and fairly narrow; the Challenger 350 and Citation Longitude offer stand-up cabins.
How much does it cost to charter a Citation X?
Our pricing model, built on published market rates, uses USD 6,000–8,500 per flight hour for super midsize jets. Positioning, planned speed, fees and dates change the total, and only an operator's quote is firm.