Silhouette traced from a photo of the closest sister model, the Citation CJ3+, by Tomás Del Coro from Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cessna · Light Jet
Citation CJ3 Gen2 (525B)
Third version of the Model 525B CJ3, between the M2 and CJ4 in Cessna's CJ family.
The CJ3 Gen2 refines a light jet with about 670 earlier CJ3s delivered, adding autothrottle and a new cabin at low running costs. It is slower and smaller inside than a Phenom 300E or PC-24, and the Autoland-equipped Gen3 clouds resale.
Buy it if
You want a new jet one pilot can legally fly, carry two to six people on trips under about 1,500 nm, and value low hourly costs, Garmin autothrottle and Textron's service network over cabin size and top speed.
Skip it if
You need a roomier cabin or more speed (Phenom 300E, PC-24), regularly fly beyond about 1,800 nm with passengers, or want Garmin Emergency Autoland as standard, which comes with the CJ3 Gen3 targeted for 2027.
Biggest compromise
Timing. The Gen2 has autothrottle but not Garmin Emergency Autoland, which is standard on the CJ3 Gen3 that first flew in July 2026 and targets service in 2027.
The numbers that matter
What it costs per year
$1.09M
at 300 hrs · two professional pilots
How far it flies
2,040 nm
About 1,800–2,040 nm with four passengers
How fast
416 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
7
7 typical, up to 9 certified
Pilots needed
1
Certified for one pilot; many owners still fly with two, and insurers set their own rules.
Price
What one costs to buy
Typical asking price
$0
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
No public listing shows a price. The Jet Agent reports two 2026 resales at $12.0–12.5M; the 2023 launch price was about $11M.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
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. Two professional pilots, recurrent training, hangar, insurance, management and databases, subscriptions and fixed extras stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- Two professional pilots$296,32727%
- Recurrent training$26,4862%
- Hangar$37,2103%
- Insurance$44,7384%
- Management$48,0004%
- Databases, subscriptions and fixed extras$19,9902%
- Fuel$341,78431%
- Airframe maintenance$118,05011%
- Engine program$97,2009%
- Crew travel, landing and handling$63,7506%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 31% of the total.
The JetGrade
70 out of 100 — Typical for its class
Peer group: Embraer Phenom 300E, Pilatus PC-24, Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen2 (525C), Cessna Citation CJ3+ (525B)
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on running costs, weakest on speed & trip time.
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
- 1.0 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
- 2.4 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Nonstop with four aboard
- 2.8 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Nonstop with margin in still air
- 3.5 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · Nonstop in still air with reserve margin
- 4.1 hr
Teterboro → San Juan
1,410 nm · Nonstop over water; watch winter headwinds
- 6.4 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · Needs one stop, typically mid-continent
Los Angeles → Honolulu
2,215 nm · Beyond range; no fuel stop over the Pacific
Lineage
What came before and after
1993–2000
Cessna CitationJet (525)
The original Model 525 light jet with Williams FJ44 engines.
2026–present
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 (525B)
Adds Garmin autothrottle and a redesigned cabin.
2027 (planned)
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 (525B)
Adds standard Garmin Emergency Autoland; first flew July 2026.
What changed from the Cessna Citation CJ3+ (525B)
- Garmin autothrottle becomes standard, a first for the CJ3, with updated G3000 hardware and software.
- GWX 8000 weather radar and a GDL 60 datalink that sends flight plans to the aircraft.
- Redesigned seats that slide and swivel, colored accent lighting, USB-C at every seat, wireless charging.
- Toilet area gains skylights, outside servicing and an optional sink with its own water.
- Pilot seat gains 4.5 in of legroom; new entry step with an assist handle.
- Engines, weights and 2,040 nm range are unchanged from the CJ3+.
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 Gen2 (525B)
- JetGrade
- 70
- Range
- 2,040 nm
- Speed
- 416 kt
- Seats
- 7
- Years built
- 2026–now
← Before
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $7M
- Range
- 2,040 nm
- Speed
- 416 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Years built
- 2014
After →
Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 (525B)
Not yet graded
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $13.53M
- Range
- 2,010 nm
- Speed
- 464 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Years built
- 2018
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $10.49M
- Range
- 2,000 nm
- Speed
- 440 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Years built
- 2018
- Embraer Phenom 300E instead: About 48 kt faster with a taller, wider cabin and similar 2023 list price, but costs more per hour in one consistent dataset.
- Pilatus PC-24 instead: Much roomier cabin (5 ft 1 in tall, 5 ft 6 in wide) and a 3,090 ft takeoff, at a 2024 list price near $11.9M.
- Cessna Citation CJ3+ (525B) instead: Same airframe, engines and range without autothrottle or the new cabin; asking prices ran $6.5–11.5M in September 2026.
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
- Doc 1 inspection · 300 hr
- Time-limited dispatch check · 330 hr
- Landing gear functional check · 1,200 hr
- Airframe inspection (Doc 22) · 1,200 hr
- Main landing gear inspection · 2,400 hr
- Engine hot section · 2,500 hr
- Cabin zonal inspection · 5,000 hr
- Engine overhaul · 5,000 hr
Overhaul every 5,000 hours and hot section at 2,500 on Williams' pay-per-hour program; engines off the program have shorter intervals.
Known issues
Autoland only by retrofit
Emergency Autoland is standard on the Gen3; Gen2 owners were promised a retrofit with no announced price or date.
Short service record
About 15 were delivered by mid-2026, so the new autothrottle and cabin systems have little fleet history.
Engine program status
Williams program enrollment and transfer terms strongly affect value across the CJ3 family; confirm before any resale purchase.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 9 checked
Textron lists 20 company service centers, 21 authorized Citation facilities, more than 80 mobile service units and around-the-clock AOG support; Williams supports the engines.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Hourly cost about 18–20% below a Phenom 300E, PC-24 or CJ4 Gen2 in one consistent published cost dataset.
- Certified for one pilot, climbs to 45,000 ft, and now has Garmin autothrottle as standard, a first for the CJ3.
- Needs 3,180 ft of runway at maximum weight, less than a Phenom 300E (3,209 ft) or CJ4 Gen2 (3,410 ft).
Limitations
- Top cruise of 416 kt is the slowest in its group; a Phenom 300E cruises at about 464 kt.
- The cabin is 4 ft 9 in tall and 4 ft 10 in wide, smaller than a Phenom 300E or PC-24.
- Full tanks leave about 820 lb for people and bags, roughly four adults with light luggage.
The Citation CJ3 Gen2 is the latest version of Cessna's Model 525B, the middle size of the CJ family between the M2 and the CJ4. The original CJ3 arrived in 2004, the CJ3+ replaced its Collins avionics with a Garmin G3000 touchscreen cockpit in 2014, and Aviation Week counted about 670 CJ3s delivered by late 2023. Textron announced the Gen2 in October 2023, the FAA certified it in October 2025 and the first customers took delivery in January 2026. Industry shipment reports show 15 delivered in the first half of 2026.
Pilot's take
Published figures describe a straight-wing Citation that reaches 45,000 ft in about 27 minutes on Cessna's CJ3+ numbers and is certified for one pilot. The Gen2's full-regime autothrottle is meant to cut workload and guard against speed excursions, and FAA training guidance requires simulator training on it, so check that your pilots' CE-525 training covers the Gen2 differences. Plan on 416 knots at the top end and roughly 150 gallons an hour on an average flight. Hot days at high airports such as Aspen call for careful weight planning, and full tanks leave about 820 lb for people and bags.
Who this is for
An owner-pilot or small flight department flying 200–400 hours a year with two to six passengers on 300–1,500 nm trips, who wants a new jet with modern cockpit automation, low running costs and Textron's service network behind it.
Ask about this aircraft
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