Citation M2 on approach in 2019, then registered M-RENT; now N78TJ. · "M-RENT Cessna 525 Citation M2" by Markus Eigenheer (FlugZuege), Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cessna · Light Jet
Citation M2 (525)
Fourth version of Cessna's Model 525 line, after the CitationJet, CJ1 and CJ1+, and before the M2 Gen2.
A well-supported, single-pilot Citation with good runway performance and a modern cockpit. The trade-offs are a small cabin, limited baggage space and a light full-fuel payload, so it works best with two to four passengers on trips under about 1,100 nm.
Buy it if
You fly yourself or with one pilot, usually carry two to four people 400–1,100 nm, and want Citation support and single-pilot certification for about $3.8–4.0M.
Skip it if
You often fill every seat, need room for bulky bags, or want a longer cabin and more seats-full range; a Phenom 100EV, HondaJet Elite or CJ2+ fits better.
Biggest compromise
Payload with full fuel is only about 514 lb, roughly the pilot plus three light passengers without bags. The 1,550 nm range is a no-payload figure; with four passengers expect about 1,180 nm, and with every seat full about 690 nm.
The numbers that matter
Purchase price
$3.79M
typical asking · $3.79M–$4M
What it costs per year
$855K
at 300 hrs · one professional pilot
How far it flies
1,550 nm
694–1,183 nm with passengers
How fast
404 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
5
5 typical, 6 with belted toilet seat
Pilots needed
1
Certified for one pilot; the FAA's 2026 end of older-Citation single-pilot exemptions does not apply.
Price
What one costs to buy
Typical asking price
$3,795,000
Where asking prices sit
Low
$3.79M
Typical
$3.79M
High
$4M
Most asking prices fall inside this band.
Other sites
5.6% of the fleet
6-month move
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
Three of eight listings show a price, all $3.8–4.0M. Aircraft Bluebook values only the newest 2020 and 2021 examples, at $4.5–4.8M.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
Citation M2 (525) · This aircraft
$3.79M
Sits between the Citation CJ1+ (525) and the Citation CJ2+ (525A).
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 landing fees, crew travel and miscellaneous rise as you fly more. One professional pilot, recurrent training, hangar, insurance and management stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- One professional pilot$147,50017%
- Recurrent training$18,9002%
- Hangar$32,4774%
- Insurance$27,6263%
- Management$24,0003%
- Fuel$286,51233%
- Airframe maintenance$123,00014%
- Engine program$127,91115%
- Landing fees, crew travel and miscellaneous$67,5008%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 33% of the total.
The JetGrade
71 out of 100 — Slightly above its class
Peer group: Embraer Phenom 100EV, HondaJet Elite, Cessna Citation CJ1+ (525)
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on reliability & support, weakest on cabin & passenger comfort.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-09-28.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
3 of 6 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 0.9 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop at any weight
- 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 four aboard
- 2.7 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Nonstop with four aboard in still air
- 3.4 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · At the edge of four-passenger range; winds decide
- 6.2 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · One fuel stop, typically mid-continent
Lineage
What came before and after
2005–2011
Cessna Citation CJ1+ (525)
FADEC FJ44-1AP engines and a Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit.
2013–2021
Cessna Citation M2 (525)
Garmin G3000, more thrust, small winglets and a new cabin.
2027 (planned)
Cessna Citation M2 Gen3
Adds Garmin Emergency Autoland and autothrottle.
What changed from the Cessna Citation CJ1+ (525)
- Three-screen Garmin G3000 with touchscreen controllers replaces the Collins Pro Line 21.
- Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines at 1,965 lb thrust each, with about 15% more cruise thrust.
- Small upturned wingtip extensions added to the same straight wing.
- New interior with tracking, swiveling club seats and optional wireless cabin entertainment.
- Usable fuel rises from 3,220 to 3,296 lb.
- Maximum cruise rises to 404 kt from about 389 kt for the CJ1+.
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 M2 (525)
- JetGrade
- 71
- Price
- $3.79M
- Range
- 1,550 nm
- Speed
- 404 kt
- Seats
- 5
- Years built
- 2013–2021
← Before
- JetGrade
- 69
- Price
- $2.6M–$3M guide
- Range
- 1,300 nm
- Speed
- 389 kt
- Seats
- 5
- Years built
- 2005–2011
After →
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $5.58M
- Range
- 1,550 nm
- Speed
- 404 kt
- Seats
- 4
- Years built
- 2022
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Range
- 1,178 nm
- Speed
- 406 kt
- Seats
- 4
- Years built
- 2017–2022
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Range
- 1,437 nm
- Speed
- 422 kt
- Seats
- 4
- Years built
- 2018–2021
Alternative
- JetGrade
- Not yet graded
- Price
- $3.9M
- Range
- 1,613 nm
- Speed
- 418 kt
- Seats
- 5
- Years built
- 2006–2016
- Embraer Phenom 100EV instead: Wider cabin and about 70 cu ft of baggage with similar runway numbers; less maximum range, and the one priced 2017 example asks $4.65M.
- HondaJet Elite instead: Faster, about 422 kt, with a longer cabin and 66 cu ft of baggage; needs more runway and has a smaller service network.
- Cessna Citation CJ2+ instead: Same Textron support with a longer cabin, 65 cu ft of baggage and more seats-full range; burns more fuel and has older avionics.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Williams FJ44-1AP-21 · 1,965 lbf each
No APUEngine hours until overhaul
- Tamarack winglet inspection · 60 hr
- Recurring inspection task groups · 300 hr
- Doc 10 major inspection · 1,200 hr
- Engine hot section inspection · 2,500 hr
- Engine overhaul · 5,000 hr
- Fire extinguisher bottle test every 60 months
On Williams' pay-per-hour program, overhaul is at 5,000 hours and hot section at 2,500; engines off the program overhaul at 3,500 hours.
Known issues
Engines off the program
Engines not on Williams' pay-per-hour program overhaul at 3,500 hours instead of 5,000, and the owner pays the full cost.
Two cockpit standards
Aircraft built from about 2020 have an upgraded G3000; bringing earlier ones up to that standard reportedly costs over $200,000.
Tamarack winglet directives
Aircraft with aftermarket Tamarack active winglets were grounded in 2019 until modified and now need repeat inspections.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 10 checked
Strong support: 20 Textron-owned service centers, more than 300 authorized facilities and mobile service teams, plus Williams' engine network for the FJ44.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Certified for one pilot, and unaffected by the FAA's 2026 end of single-pilot exemptions for older Citations.
- Short-field ability: 3,210 ft takeoff at maximum weight and 2,590 ft landing, per Cessna's specifications.
- Deep factory support: 20 Textron-owned service centers, 300+ authorized shops and pay-per-hour engine coverage on most aircraft.
Limitations
- Full-fuel payload of about 514 lb; four passengers bring range down to about 1,180 nm.
- Only 45.6 cu ft of baggage, all in outside compartments, and a belted toilet behind a curtain.
- The engines hold full thrust only up to 22°C (72°F), so hot, high airports cut payload or range.
The Citation M2 is the 2013–2021 version of Cessna's Model 525, the family that began with the 1993 CitationJet and continued through the CJ1 and CJ1+. Cessna kept the CJ1+ fuselage and straight wing, added small upturned wingtips, replaced the Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit with a Garmin G3000, and fitted Williams FJ44-1AP-21 engines rated at 1,965 lb of thrust each. About 300 were delivered before the M2 Gen2 cabin refresh took over in 2022. It is certified to be flown by one pilot, so the FAA's September 2026 decision to end single-pilot exemptions for older Citation models does not affect it.
Pilot's take
Pilot reports describe the M2 as a manageable step up from turboprops: a straight wing, modest approach speeds (one report cites 106 knots at about 9,400 lb) and a G3000 cockpit that shares its logic with other Garmin panels. Plan on 375–390 knots at 41,000 ft, and treat full-cabin legs beyond about 700 nm as a fuel-and-weight exercise. On hot days, check the runway numbers, because the engines hold full thrust only to 22°C. For single-pilot flying, the type rating, recurrent simulator training and insurer requirements matter as much as the airplane.
Who this is for
An owner-pilot moving up from a turboprop, or a small company with one professional pilot, flying 150–350 hours a year on regional trips with two to four passengers.
Ask about this aircraft
Answers come only from our research file on the Cessna Citation M2 (original).
Your earlier questionsOwners
Private to verified ownersOwn a Cessna Citation M2 (525)? Verify with its FAA registration to join the owners' thread and the real-cost poll.