In late September, Cessna introduced the Citation M2, a light business jet that fills the gap between the Mustang entry-level jet and the Citation CJ family.

The new design has been in development for three years and it’s slated to fly during the first half of 2012.

With room for two crew and six passengers, the $4.195 million Citation M2 has a maximum cruise speed of 741 kilometers per hour and a range of 2,408 kilometers.

After years of waiting for China to lift heavy restrictions on airspace, wealthy travellers and aircraft manufacturers have reason to celebrate — the country’s skies are opening up to private flights.

The makers of helicopters and small business jets are predicting a major bump in sales — France’s Dassault Falcon just moved its Asia office from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, which it called the new “centre of gravity” for the market.

The private air travel industry “will be one of the fastest-growing sectors in the next 10 years”, Frank Lee, chairman of China Private Aviation Company, a consultancy offering aircraft acquisition and charter services, told AFP.

Fractional jet operator CitationAir by Cessna has launched a new initiative called Jet Access, which allows customers to fly without buying a share of an aircraft.

Customers can fly on the company’s fleet of Citation XLS or Sovereign aircraft.

The program allows customers with a 50 hours annual commitment all the benefits of fractional ownership, together with the flexibility and risk-free benefits of a Jet Card.

“The Jet Access product requires no aircraft ownership, thereby eliminating any concerns about future residual values,” said Steve O’Neill, CitationAir’s CEO.

Cessna Aircraft announced yesterday that it will build a larger, advanced version of its Citation X business jet, called the Citation Ten.

The new Citation Ten is scheduled to be in the air by late 2011 and delivered to the first customer in 2013.

The jet is 15 inches longer and will fly farther and carry more weight than the $22 million, eight-seat Citation X.

The Citation Ten will have a longer range and faster rate of climb speed than the previous model.

The Cessna Aircraft Company introduced at the opening day of AirVenture 2010 a new upgrade package for its Citation Mustang.

The $75,000 package includes a more luxurious interior, a special paint scheme, a two-year maintenance programme, synthetic vision, electronic charts and locking fuel caps.

It is the first upgrade package Cessna has offered since the Mustang entered service in 2007. Cessna has since delivered over 300 Mustangs.

The UK flag-carrier is launching an exclusive private jet service for British Airways passengers flying within North America and the Caribbean.

The airline is establishing the service, designated PrivateConnect, in partnership with Cessna division CitationAir.

Unlike some other private jet services, BA will not force customers into signing a long-term contract and will not ask for fees upfront.