Aircraft
Citation Ascend Preps for Service Entry in 2025
Latest member of the 560XL family has a flat-floor cabin and Garmin G5000 avionics
Ascend mockup at NBAA-BACE 2024
Textron Aviation's Cessna Citation Ascend mockup at NBAA-BACE 2024. © Ian Whelan/AIN

As the Cessna Citation Ascend flight-test program continues, Textron Aviation is once again highlighting the next iteration of the 560XL family at its BACE static display in mockup form so visitors can see what’s changed in the cabin and flight deck. Textron Aviation announced the midsize twinjet in May 2023 and expects it to enter service next year.

From the outside, it’s hard to tell the difference between the Ascend and its XLS+ predecessor, but the Ascend’s cabin windows are 15% larger and its windshields have built-in UVA and UVB protection.