Citation CJ3 F-GVUJ, a 2007 aircraft operated in France. · Photo: Markus Eigenheer (via Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 2.0
Cessna · Light Jet
Citation CJ3 (525B)
The third size of Cessna's Model 525 family, larger than the CJ2 and replaced by the CJ3+ in 2014.
The CJ3 is the balanced middle of the CJ family: lower running costs than most light-jet rivals, strong support and single-pilot certification. A narrow cabin, thin full-fuel payload and aging avionics mean the serial number, engine program and upgrades decide the deal.
Buy it if
You want a jet one pilot can legally fly, usually carry two to five people up to about 1,300 nm, and value Textron's service network and a steady resale market.
Skip it if
You need a wider, taller cabin (look at the Phenom 300), often fly full seats with full fuel, or want the lowest purchase price (a CJ2+ or Premier IA costs less).
Biggest compromise
Payload with full tanks. With a typical 8,585 lb operating weight, full fuel leaves about 775 lb for people and bags, roughly three adults with luggage.
The numbers that matter
Purchase price
$5.2M
typical asking · $4.95M–$5.25M
What it costs per year
$955K
at 300 hrs · one professional pilot
How far it flies
1,875 nm
About 1,660–1,890 nm with four passengers
How fast
417 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
6
6 typical, up to 8 certified
Pilots needed
1
Certified for one pilot; the September 2026 end of older Citation single-pilot exemptions does not apply.
Price
What one costs to buy
Typical asking price
$5,200,000
Where asking prices sit
Low
$4.95M
Typical
$5.2M
High
$5.25M
Most asking prices fall inside this band.
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
Four of 16 listed CJ3s show prices, $4.95M–$5.25M; Aircraft Bluebook values quoted in May 2025 ran $4.9M–$5.4M for 2011–2013 models.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
Citation CJ3 (525B) · This aircraft
$5.2M
Sits between the Citation CJ2+ (525A) and the Citation CJ3+ (525B).
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 and crew travel, landing and handling rise as you fly more. One professional pilot, recurrent training, hangar, insurance, management and subscriptions and databases stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- One professional pilot$185,08219%
- Recurrent training$25,0413%
- Hangar$37,2104%
- Insurance$26,3363%
- Management$24,0003%
- Subscriptions and databases$9,9901%
- Fuel$354,19237%
- Airframe maintenance$123,65413%
- Engine program$97,33510%
- Crew travel, landing and handling$72,0008%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 37% of the total.
The JetGrade
71 out of 100 — Slightly above its class
Peer group: Cessna Citation CJ2+ (525A), Embraer Phenom 300, Cessna Citation Encore+ (560), Beechcraft Premier IA, Learjet 40XR
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 2026-09-29.
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
- 0.9 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop well within range
- 2.1 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Hot-and-high; depends on weight and weather
- 2.5 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Nonstop with four aboard
- 2.8 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Nonstop with comfortable margin in still air
- 3.5 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · Nonstop in still air; strong headwinds cut margin
- 4.1 hr
Teterboro → San Juan
1,410 nm · Nonstop in still air; plan reserves over water
- 6.5 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · One fuel stop, typically mid-continent
Los Angeles → Honolulu
2,215 nm · Beyond range; no practical fuel stop en route
Lineage
What came before and after
2004–2014
Cessna Citation CJ3 (525B)
Longer 525 with FJ44-3A engines, Pro Line 21 and up to eight seats.
What changed from the Cessna Citation CJ2 (525A)
- Fuselage about 2 ft 6 in longer than the CJ2's, adding cabin length.
- Wingspan grows from about 49 ft 6 in to 52 ft 11 in.
- Williams FJ44-3A engines with digital controls, 2,820 lbf each versus 2,400 lbf on the CJ2.
- Maximum takeoff weight rises from 12,375 lb to 13,870 lb.
- Usable fuel rises from 3,961 lb to 4,710 lb; published range reaches 1,875 nm.
- Cabin about 15 ft 8 in long, with up to eight passengers certified.
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 CJ3 (525B)
- JetGrade
- 71
- Price
- $5.2M
- Cost per year
- $955K
- Range
- 1,875 nm
- Speed
- 417 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 15′ 8″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 2004–2014
← Before
- JetGrade
- 71
- Price
- $3.02M
- Cost per year
- $857K
- Range
- 1,600 nm
- Speed
- 410 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 2000–2006
After →
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $7M
- Range
- 2,040 nm
- Speed
- 416 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 15′ 8″
- Years built
- 2014
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 70
- Cost per year
- $1.27M
- Range
- 1,971 nm
- Speed
- 453 kt
- Seats
- 7
- Cabin length
- 17′ 2″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 2009–2017
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $3.9M
- Range
- 1,613 nm
- Speed
- 418 kt
- Seats
- 5
- Years built
- 2006–2016
- Cessna Citation CJ3+ (525B) instead: Same airframe and performance with a Garmin G3000 cockpit and newer cabin; one published average puts it about $3.4M above the CJ3.
- Embraer Phenom 300 instead: Taller, wider cabin, 85 cu ft of baggage and about 1,676 nm seats-full, but roughly $2.8M more to buy in one published comparison.
- Cessna Citation CJ2+ (525A) instead: Shorter cabin and less range (about 1,164 nm seats-full), but a lower hourly cost and lower purchase price.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Williams FJ44-3A · 2,820 lbf each
No APUEngine hours until overhaul
- Engine checks 1 and 2 · 150 hr
- Landing gear functional check · 1,200 hr
- Main landing gear inspection · 2,400 hr
- Engine hot section · 2,500 hr
- Engine overhaul · 5,000 hr
- Structural eddy-current inspections · 5,000 hr
- Fire extinguishers and ELT every 72 months
The 5,000-hour overhaul and 2,500-hour hot section apply to engines on Williams' TAP Blue pay-per-hour program; transfer needs a Williams inspection.
Known issues
Engine program status
Engines off Williams' pay-per-hour program lose the 5,000-hour overhaul interval, leaving the owner exposed to overhaul bills.
Avionics and WAAS by serial
Early aircraft lack factory WAAS approaches; ADS-B upgrades ran $120,000 and up, a Pro Line Fusion retrofit about $325,000.
Turbine disk directive
A 2022 directive removes certain FJ44-3A turbine disks, about $19,500 per engine when not covered by a program.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 10 checked
Textron Aviation lists more than 300 authorized service facilities and 40-plus mobile service units worldwide, plus company service centers and independent CJ shops; Williams supports the engines.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Hourly cost about $3,580 in one published comparison, below the Phenom 300, Encore+, Premier IA and Learjet 40XR.
- Certified for one pilot, so the FAA's September 2026 end of older Citation single-pilot exemptions does not affect it.
- About 3,180 ft to take off at maximum weight at sea level, shorter than most rivals except the Phenom 300.
Limitations
- Full fuel leaves about 775 lb for people and bags, so full cabins mean shorter legs.
- The cabin is 4 ft 9 in tall and 4 ft 10 in wide, smaller than a Phenom 300's or Premier IA's.
- Early aircraft lack factory WAAS approaches; ADS-B upgrades ran $120,000 and up, a Pro Line Fusion retrofit about $325,000.
The Citation CJ3 is the third size of Cessna's Model 525 CitationJet family. It entered service at the end of 2004 as a stretch of the CJ2, with a fuselage about 2 ft 6 in longer, a wingspan about 3 ft 5 in wider, Williams FJ44-3A engines rated at 2,820 lb of thrust each with digital engine controls, and a Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit. Cessna built it until 2014, when the CJ3+ took over with a Garmin G3000 touchscreen cockpit on the same airframe; the CJ3 Gen2 followed in 2025. Both have their own pages on TheJetGrade.
Pilot's take
Published pilot reports describe the CJ3 as a stable straight-wing Citation that climbs to the mid-40s quickly, lands short and keeps single-pilot workload manageable with the Pro Line 21 and its flight management system. Plan around 415 knots and roughly 150–165 gallons an hour. The landing deserves discipline: the CJ3 accidents on record are mostly landing mishaps, including a gear-up landing and a runway overrun. Hot days at high airports such as Aspen call for careful weight planning on departure, and a full cabin means planning a shorter leg.
Who this is for
An owner-pilot or small flight department flying 200–400 hours a year with three to five passengers on regional trips, stepping up from a CJ2, CJ1 or turboprop, who wants a proven jet and will pay for one with engines on program.
Ask about this aircraft
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