The Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft was the most-flown in the US in 2023.
Textron Aviation
The Cessna CitationJet was the most popular private plane in the US in 2023, according to JetSpy.
The series of jets, including the Citation M2, CJ2, CJ3, and CJ4, collectively flew 273,522 flights.
The ultra-rich prefer private aviation for its convenience and the variety of aircraft available.
The world's elite had a busy year of jet-setting in 2023, spending thousands of dollars to fly private to events like Burning Man, the Super Bowl, and Sun Valley, Idaho's annual "summer camp for billionaires."
These ultra-rich people regularly splurge for the convenience of private aviation because they can skip the hassles of security and crowded passenger terminals.
And there's a lot of choice when it comes to business planes, with everything from the smaller HondaJet to the massive Bombardier Global 7500 on the market. The latter typically comes complete with a bedroom and entertainment room.
However, Textron Aviation's family of Cessna CitationJet aircraft proved to be the most popular in the US last year, performing a collective 273,522 flights in 2023, according to data from the aircraft-tracking website JetSpy.
Here's a closer look at the CitationJet series, which all offer varying ranges, speeds, and cabins to suit the needs of rich flyers.
Textron Aviation builds a series of light business aircraft known as the CitationJet, which falls under the larger Citation family of private planes.
The Cessna Citation M2.
Textron Aviation
The light-class family of aircraft, also known as CJ, was introduced in the 1990s and has been a consistently popular option for the ultrawealthy due to the fleet's versatility.
There are four distinct models — the Citation M2, the CJ2, the CJ3, and the CJ4 — which were developed after the company's Citation 1 failed.
The cabin of a CJ3.
Textron Aviation
Cessna's series of CJ airplanes dominate the market share with 51%, followed by Embraer and Hawker aircraft at 19% and 14%, respectively, per JetSpy.
The original Citation 1 was discontinued due to its expensive engines. Still, Cessna saw a market need for a light, lower-cost private jet.
Dutch Minister Van der Stoel boards a Citation 1 Jet at Schipol Amsterdam Airport for a trip to China and Japan in 1975.
Nationaal Archief
The Citation 1 used Pratt & Whitney JT15D-1 engines, which were expensive and made the jet uncompetitive. This caused the program to be canceled in 1985.
When designing the CJ, Cessna settled on a new design that combined a lighter airframe with inexpensive but effective Williams FJ44 engines.
The CJ4 model.
Textron Aviation
The first model was unveiled in 1989 and eventually delivered for the first time in 1993 to much fanfare as it outperformed the original Citation 1 thanks to its favorable speed, size, and price point.
Cessna eventually developed the original CJ into the four different CitationJet models through a series of operational and performance upgrades.
A CJ4 cockpit.
Textron Aviation
Cessna's CitationJet family is built upon the original design but learned from the mistakes of the Pratt & Whitney engines to create a more operationally favorable jet with a spacious and comfortable cabin.
Other improvements to the cockpit and cabin are visible in the current models coming off the assembly lines.
The smallest is the M2, which can fly about 1,784 miles nonstop and has a list price of $4.7 million.
The Citation M2 version.
Textron Aviation
The M2, which has more efficient Williams FJ44-1AP-21 turbofans that propel it to about 465 mph, is still in production. The Citation 1, by comparison, could only fly up to about 405 mph.
The M2 jet also has an upgraded cockpit with Garmin avionics instead of those from Rockwell Collins and can climb faster and fly faster than its predecessor.
According to Textron, the M2 has a cabin height and width of five feet and a width of 11 feet.
The interior of the M2, which typically fits six people in the main cabin.
Textron Aviation
That means the aircraft is not quite tall enough for an adult to stand upright, but it is still spacious and comfortable enough for businesspeople to choose it over other options.
The typical M2 configuration includes space for six people and features amenities like power, cupholders, and tables.
The CitationJet family of aircraft all feature the regular amenities of private jets, like cupholders and ample legroom.
Textron Aviation
The plane is certified for a single pilot, so it can actually fit up to seven people in total with the second pilot's seat open.
However, it most comfortably fits four or five. According to Textron, the fifth and sixth seats face sideways and are situated outside the main cabin, including one in the lavatory and one right in front of the exit door.
Although not built anymore, Cessna developed a stretched version of the CJ1 and called it the CJ2.
A Centerline Cessna Citation CJ2 business jet taxiing at Manchester International Airport.
Juha Remes/iStock
The CJ2 is five feet longer than the original CJ1 and was first delivered in 2000. It can fly up to 481 mph across about 1,375 miles, according to Business Jet Traveler.
The CJ2+ "Alpine Edition" is similar to the M2 in its cabin and Garmin cockpit, but it had low demand and went out of production in 2016.
The Cessna CJ2+ went out of production, leaving only the latest M2, CJ3+, and CJ4+ models for sale new.
Textron Aviation
The M2 and CJ3+ counterparts proved to be better suited for the market of the CJ2 model, a company spokesperson told Flying Magazine in 2016.
The aircraft is still available to charter or buy used, though. The average pre-owned cost is about $4.5 million, down from the original list price of $6.5 million before production ended.
Although the CJ2+ model proved less popular, the third rendition of the jet — the $7.2 million CJ3 variant — is a success.
The Citation CJ3+ is the third development from the original CJ1.
Maikel de Vaan/iStock
According to Textron, the CJ3+ features a Garmin cockpit with advanced handling and fuel burn.
The CJ3 is lighter and faster than the CJ2 it was modeled after and is equipped with slightly better Williams turbofan engines.
The cabin height and width are that of the M2, but with a nearly 16-foot length that can comfortably fit eight seats.
The CJ3+ has space for a third set of seats in the cabin.
Textron Aviation
The main configuration includes six seats in a "club-style" arrangement. Textron offers the option to add up to two more seats in the main cabin or a "custom extended refreshment center" in lieu of one in the front.
The aft lavatory can also be fitted with a vanity, if preferred, per Textron. The aircraft also has increased baggage space compared to the M2.
Similar to the M2 — and all CJ models for that matter — the CJ3+ is certified for single-pilot operations.
The cockpit of the CJ3+.
Textron Aviation
This means one person can sit in the first officer's seat, bringing the total capacity to nine.
Introduced in 2006, the largest of the CJ variants is the CJ4, which stretches about two feet longer than the CJ3+.
The Cessna CJ4 has evolved into the CJ4 Gen2.
Textron Aviation
Textron has again kept the same cabin height and width and simply stretched the CJ4 to about 17 and a half feet.
The purchase price starts at about $9 million, also making it the most expensive of the CJ family.
It is not only the largest jet in the Cessna CitationJet series but also the fastest and the highest-ranged in production.
A view of the lavatory in the CJ4.
Textron Aviation
The CJ4 can fly up to about 520 mph across some 2,500 miles, according to Textron.
That compares to the M2, which can fly up to 465 mph across 1,784 miles, and the CJ3+, which can fly up to 478 mph across 2,348 miles.
The CJ4 can carry up to 10 people thanks to the optional couch that can be fit onboard.
A galley can be installed on the CJ4.
Textron Aviation
Textron offers a similar layout with six loungers, a seat in the lavatory, and a seat by the main cabin door. In the CJ4's case, that can be a single seat or a couch.
The lavatory also has its own seat, with the option to add a vanity. Meanwhile, a galley can be installed toward the front.
The CJ4 also offers several interior color scheme options, with designs like "jet black" and "glacier."
The optional couch can be seen behind the right-side lounger.
Textron Aviation
The CJ3+ has a similar list of options, which includes "bisque" and "truffle" but not "toffee" like on the CJ4. Buyers can also customize the cabin.
The M2, by comparison, offers three interiors: cashmere, driftwood, and ebony.
While the Cessna CJ family is the most flown with more than 273,500 flight hours, several of Cessna's midsize aircraft were close behind.
A Citation Sovereign.
VanderWolf-Images/iStock
According to JetSpy, the Cessna V/Ultra/Encore series flew 255,912 flights, and the Cessna Citation Sovereign flew about 200,100. Both are larger than the CitationJet series.
The Sovereign ended production in 2021 to make more room for the Citation Longitude and Citation Lattitude planes. The Encore family — which had been developed from the original V in the 1980s to the Encore+ in 2006 — ended production over a decade ago.
