Silhouette traced from a photo of the closest sister model, the Citation XLS+, by Anna Zvereva · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cessna · Midsize Jet
Citation Ascend (560XL)
Fifth and newest version of Cessna's Model 560XL, following the XLS Gen2.
The Ascend keeps the 560XL's short-runway ability and low hourly costs, and adds a Garmin cockpit with autothrottles, a quieter flat-floor cabin and a standard APU. Range stays near 1,940 nm with four passengers, while roomier rivals cost similar money.
Buy it if
Most trips are under 1,500 nm with four to eight passengers, you will crew it with two pilots, and you want a new jet with Garmin avionics, factory warranties and Cessna's largest service network for about $17–19.5M.
Skip it if
You need nonstop coast to coast, six feet of headroom, or a jet one pilot can fly. A Citation Latitude or Praetor 500 flies much farther for similar money; a Phenom 300E allows single-pilot operation.
Biggest compromise
Range for the price. With four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves (the standard fuel safety margin) the Ascend flies about 1,940 nm, and roughly 1,720 nm with every seat full.
The numbers that matter
Purchase price
$17M–$19.45M
guide value (Aircraft Cost Calculator and Private Jet Card Comparisons)
What it costs per year
$1.53M
at 300 hrs · two professional pilots
How far it flies
2,100 nm
1,723–1,940 nm with passengers
How fast
441 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
9
9 typical, 12 maximum
Pilots needed
2
Certified for two pilots on every flight, like every 560XL.
Price
What one costs to buy
Guide value
$17M–$19.45M
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
The one Ascend listed shows no price. Cessna's 2023 launch price was $16.725M; published estimates for a new airplane run about $17–19.5M.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
Citation Ascend (560XL) · This aircraft
$17M–$19.45M guide
Guide value, not a listed asking price.
Sits between the Phenom 300E and the Citation Latitude (680A).
For sale now
None listed right now
Cost to own
What it costs per year to run
300hours / year
Per year
Per flight hour
Estimate — your operator will quote actual numbers.
Fuel, airframe maintenance, engine program, both engines and training, management and subscriptions rise as you fly more. Two pilots, hangar and insurance stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- Two pilots$407,55027%
- Hangar$47,8003%
- Insurance$75,0005%
- Fuel$545,16036%
- Airframe maintenance$135,0009%
- Engine program, both engines$187,80012%
- Training, management and subscriptions$126,7228%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 36% of the total.
The JetGrade
68 out of 100 — Below its class average
Peer group: Cessna Citation XLS Gen2 (560XL), Cessna Citation Latitude (680A), Embraer Praetor 500, Embraer Legacy 450
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on running costs, weakest on range & payload.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-10-28.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
Out of reach
5 of 8 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 1.0 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop with margin at any load
- 2.0 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Hot-and-high; depends on weight and weather
- 2.3 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Nonstop with comfortable fuel margin
- 2.6 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Nonstop with margin
- 3.3 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · Nonstop with margin in still air
- 3.8 hr
Teterboro → San Juan
1,410 nm · Over water; plan winds and alternates
- 6.0 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · One stop in still air; tailwinds sometimes help
Los Angeles → Honolulu
2,215 nm · Beyond range; no fuel stop available
Lineage
What came before and after
2025–present
Cessna Citation Ascend (560XL)
Garmin G5000 with autothrottles, PW545D engines and a flat-floor cabin.
What changed from the Cessna Citation XLS Gen2 (560XL)
- Garmin G5000 with three 14-inch displays and full-time autothrottles replaces Collins Pro Line 21.
- PW545D engines rated at 4,218 lbf each, up from 4,119 lbf, with lower claimed fuel burn.
- Flat floor standard, windows about 15% larger, swiveling seats and a quieter cabin.
- Honeywell APU that runs unattended and Gogo Wi-Fi are now standard equipment.
- Maximum takeoff weight of 20,500 lb with a 2,740 lb maximum payload.
- Airframe inspections every 18 months or 800 hours; engine overhaul up to 6,000 hours.
Size and cabin
How big it is, inside and out
Outside
Silhouette · scaled to length
Length
Wingspan
Height
Inside the cabin
Cabin length
Width
Height
Compare
How it stacks up
This aircraft
Citation Ascend (560XL)
- JetGrade
- 68
- Price
- $17M–$19.45M guide
- Cost per year
- $1.53M
- Range
- 2,100 nm
- Speed
- 441 kt
- Seats
- 9
- Cabin length
- 18′ 6″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 2025–now
← Before
- JetGrade
- 68
- Cost per year
- $1.57M
- Range
- 2,100 nm
- Speed
- 436 kt
- Seats
- 8
- Cabin length
- 18′ 6″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 2022–2025
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 75
- Price
- $18.75M
- Cost per year
- $2.15M
- Range
- 2,700 nm
- Speed
- 446 kt
- Seats
- 8
- Cabin length
- 21′ 9″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 2015–now
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 80
- Price
- $17.5M–$20M guide
- Cost per year
- $2.09M
- Range
- 3,340 nm
- Speed
- 466 kt
- Seats
- 7
- Cabin length
- 24′ 1″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 2019–now
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $13.53M
- Range
- 2,010 nm
- Speed
- 464 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Years built
- 2018
- Cessna Citation Latitude (680A) instead: Six-foot flat-floor cabin and about 2,700 nm range with the same Textron support; pre-owned examples average about $15.2M on one published estimate.
- Embraer Praetor 500 instead: About 3,340 nm with four passengers, 466 kt cruise and a six-foot cabin, but higher hourly costs on comparable published figures.
- Embraer Phenom 300E instead: Certified for a single pilot, about 23 kt faster and cheaper per hour with similar range; the cabin is shorter and lower.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW545D · 4,218 lbf each
Engine hours until overhaul
- Main airframe inspection · 800 hr
- Engine hot section inspection · 3,000 hr
- Engine overhaul · 6,000 hr
The 6,000-hour overhaul interval applies only with program enrollment and the engine data recorder fitted; new engines carry a five-year or 3,000-hour warranty.
Known issues
Program decides overhaul interval
Engines reach 6,000 hours between overhauls only when enrolled in a program with the data recorder fitted; check both before buying.
Floor option changes headroom
The standard flat floor gives 5 ft of headroom; only airplanes ordered with the dropped aisle offer 5 ft 8 in.
Short service record
Deliveries began in December 2025, so the new engines, Garmin cockpit and autothrottles have little fleet history yet.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 9 checked
Broad support: Textron Aviation service centers and mobile units, factory warranties on engines and avionics, and a 560XL family of more than 1,000 airplanes.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Garmin G5000 cockpit with three 14-inch displays and full-time autothrottles, plus a standard Honeywell APU and Wi-Fi.
- Short-runway reach: about 3,800 ft to take off at maximum weight at sea level, with 2,740 lb maximum payload.
- Hourly cost about 15% below midsize peers on comparable published figures; we estimate $1.53M a year at 300 hours.
Limitations
- About 1,940 nm with four passengers, roughly 760 nm less than a Citation Latitude at a similar price.
- The standard flat floor leaves 5 ft of headroom; the 5 ft 8 in dropped aisle is an extra-cost option.
- Two pilots on every flight, and top cruise of 441 kt trails the Praetor 500 by about 25 kt.
The Citation Ascend is the fifth version of Cessna's Model 560XL, the straight-wing midsize line that began with the Excel in 1998 and has passed 1,000 deliveries. Textron Aviation launched it in May 2023 at a list price of $16.725M, the FAA certified it in November 2025, and the first customer airplane was delivered on December 30, 2025. NetJets, the launch fleet customer, took its first Ascends in spring 2026. It keeps the familiar 18 ft 6 in cabin and straight wing but replaces the engines, the cockpit and most of the interior.
Pilot's take
The Ascend's real story is the cockpit. Garmin's G5000 with three 14-inch screens, touchscreen controllers and autothrottles that work from takeoff to landing brings the 560XL up to the standard of the Latitude and Longitude, and the autothrottle adds speed protection. Pilots current in earlier 560XLs keep the same type rating but need differences training, with emphasis on autothrottle failures and go-arounds. It still flies like an XL: forgiving trailing-link gear, a straight wing that suits short runways, and a Mach 0.75 limit, so plan legs at about 430–441 kt. On a pre-buy, read the engine program contract and confirm the engine data recorder needed for the 6,000-hour overhaul interval.
Who this is for
A company or family flight department with two-pilot crews flying 200–400 hours a year on 500–1,500 nm trips with four to eight passengers, buying new for about $17–19.5M and budgeting roughly $1.45–1.67M a year to operate.
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