Stats from above #7

As we bid adieu to the colorful autumn that bathed the landscapes in all the shades of bronze, gold, orange, and brown, we welcome winter knocking on our door.  With it comes a snowy wonderland. Keeping that in mind we can expect passengers and jet-setters to choose cities and mountains as their most sought out destinations in this month’s edition of our blog series – Stats From Above. This blog series is where we zoom in on some of the most intriguing statistics from the world of business aviation including popular destinations, busiest routes and airports, as well as the most used types of jets. If you want to catch up with the previous stats, then we suggest you check out our Stats From Above from October.

Stats from Above

By analyzing the stats provided by our partners from the EBAA, we can surmise that while the skies over Europe have remained busy throughout the month of November, the stats have been decreasing compared to the previous month.

Looking at the arriving flights, November has seen a steady decline in numbers across the board in comparison to October. We already observed a similar trend in the last edition of Stats From Above, and we can expect that trend to continue in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. Business also tends to slow down as we near the last quarter of the year.

We’ve been mentioning the decline in numbers, so let’s look at specific figures. There were 1,396 active airports accounting for a total of 49,787 of arrival flights, which is a difference of almost 14,000 flights compared to the previous month. There was a decrease in the number of active aircrafts as well the grand total of 4,348 active jets in November was over 500 less than in October. However, some things didn’t change. The Turboprop segment remained the clear leader accounting for the most departures with 12,595 flights. And while Turboprops led the pack it doesn’t mean the numbers haven’t changed. Indeed, there was a difference of 2,330 arrival flights compared to the previous month.

Busiest airports and routes

And now, let’s look at which airports and routes were favored by busy jet-setters in November. Looking at the country flows we can see that the trend of domestic flights from the previous months carries over to this one as well. However, the order has changed a bit. While France remains the clear leader with 3,596 flights(4,431 previously), Germany (3,432 flights) has overtaken the United Kingdom (3,276 flights).

When we look at the busiest airports by arriving flights we see that Paris Le Bourget has maintained its leading position with 2,055 flights. The second most popular airport with 1,197 arriving flights was the  Geneva Cointrin Airport. The Geneva airport makes the list quite often, however, there could be a number of reasons why it has surpassed Farnborough Airport this month (1,099 arrivals).

In November the Swiss city hosted the 29^th Geneva International Film Festival which may account for an influx of visitors and cinema connoisseurs. The end of November also marks the start of the Christmas markets in Geneva, namely, the Noël du Jardin and the Mont Blanc Christmas Markets. And of course, depending on the snowfall you can venture to the ski resorts near Geneva such as La Clusaz or Le Grand Bornand to try to hit the slopes early.

Jet of the month Cessna citation CJ3

This month’s Jet of the Month is the Cessna Citation CJ3 produced by Cessna. As the name already alludes the CJ3 is part of the Citation family of jets. We’ve already introduced the Cessna Citation XLS in last month’s Stats from Above. The CJ3 is based on the Cessna CitationJet also known as the Model 525, which was then improved and expanded to the bigger model, the CJ2, and then it was stretched even further to become the aforementioned CJ3. The Cessna Citation CJ3 has been manufactured since the year 2004 up until the present day and is now in its second generation.

The Cessna Citation CJ3 is classified as a light-size business jet and usually comes in a configuration that seats seven passengers. However, as is usually the case, the number of passengers a CJ3 can carry will vary depending on the configuration of every individual jet and its customization. Looking at the engines, the Citation CJ3 is powered by a pair of Williams FJ44-3A turbofans. These allow the light business jet to travel at speeds of up to 415 knots and allow it to reach a range of over 1,500 nautical miles. To put it into a better perspective you can comfortably fly from Prague to Reykjavik or Helsinki.

As a light business jet, the interior of Citation CJ3 is designed to transport passengers in comfort on short to medium-length flights. Common configurations of the jet usually include lush club seats with center-style configuration that can also be configured to swivel. The Citation CJ3 can also come equipped with a lavatory that can be converted to seating if there is a need for it.

We’ve now covered a brief overview of the Cessna Citation CJ3 and walked you through possible seating arrangements and amenities you can look forward to if you come aboard. Now let’s answer the question you might be asking yourself at this point: “How much will a Cessna Citation CJ3 cost me?”.  

For starters, you have to be aware that the price of a jet usually depends on a range of variables including the configuration, the flight hours it has accumulated, and how well it has been maintained. The price of a jet can start at US$ 4 million and can climb all the way up to US$7 million. And if you’re looking to add a Cessna Citation CJ3 to your fleet, you might not want to wait long, units that are on offer usually only spend around 3 months on the market.

If you’d like to purchase a Cessna Citation CJ3, but are unsure where to start the purchasing process, we’d be happy to assist you on your jet buying journey, so, don’t hesitate to contact us.