New Citation XLS Has Strong First Six Months

Elite Air began chartering a second Citation XLS, this one based in Louisiana, in February. The aircraft is off to a fast start with the management and charter company’s customers.

“We’ve been very happy with our charters,” Pilot John Lemelle said. “The XLS might not be the best airframe at everything, but it does a lot of things really well—runway performance, speed, range, altitude, fuel efficiency, comfort. You might find planes that do one or two things better, but the XLS is affordable, and a lot of customers fit its demographics.”

The Citation XLS, a medium-sized business jet built by the Cessna Aircraft Company, operates Honeywell avionics and an optional auxiliary power unit also powered by Honeywell. The turbofan-powered aircraft offers the features of a super-midsize with a slightly smaller cabin and at a more affordable price point. The jet cruises at 495 MPH and offers endurance up to 4 hours and 15 minutes and cabin width of 5.5 feet, length of 18.6 feet and height of 5.7 feet.

The Elite Air-managed XLS, based at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport (PTN) midway between New Orleans and Lafayette in Patterson, La., seats up to nine passengers and is under charter friendly ownership. The 2006 aircraft has been maintained immaculately and offers a partial forward galley and enclosed lavatory.

“We’ve managed XLS airframes in various places around the country for years now,” Elite Air CEO Gray Gibbs said. “They’re an extremely attractive midsize for a lot of our customers, and we’re blessed to have one based in a central location like the New Orleans area.”