Despite recent industry forecasts that call for 2011 to look much like 2010, Mark Paolucci, Cessna Aircraft's new senior vice president of sales and marketing, said at the company's MEBA press conference yesterday, "We are seeing increased activity in new and used aircraft sales. That's a much better sign than this time last year. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel." The U.S. manufacturer is, during the downturn, continuing to invest much of its revenue in new product developments and service offerings to prepare for increased sales in the future.
"We've seen steady growth in the midsize-cabin sector in this region with aircraft like the Citation Sovereign and XLS, even when the market has really been dominated by large-cabin aircraft," added Cessna's international sales vice president Trevor Esling. The Sovereign carries as many as eight passengers plus two pilots over distances of up to 3,000 nm at speeds of up to 458 knots.