Silhouette traced from a photo by Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cessna · Light Jet
Photo: Photo: Duncan Kirk (Flickr: CaptainN1435S), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The numbers that matter
Price
$949k
typical asking
Cost per year
$937k
at 300 hrs · 2 pilots
Price
Based on 14 listings observed 2026-09-27
Typical ask
$949,000
Observed on other sites
14 observed on other sites
Price vs. its family
Typical asking, USD
Sits between the Citation II (550) ($895k) and the Citation Ultra (560) ($2.19M).
For sale now
Cost to own
Estimate · Two professional pilots · Your operator will quote actual numbers
How many hours a year will you fly?
300hours / year
Per year
$936,571
Per flight hour
$3,122
Scales with hours: fuel, maintenance.
Fixed: pilots, other, hangar, training, insurance.
Fuel is the biggest line at 300 hours a year; pilots is the biggest fixed cost.
~300 hr/yr, two professional pilots, United States, price basis 09/27/2026: total $956k-$1322k/yr. Fuel None gph @ $7.52/gal. Split fields are midpoints of researched ranges; full ranges and sources in.
The JetGrade
70 = typicalS/II
Range & payload 75, Cabin & passenger experience 70, Operating economics 70, Reliability & support 70, Airport access & versatility 80, Purchase value & resale 65, Speed & trip efficiency 65
Why 65 on purchase value & resale: Below 70: capability per dollar is good, but liquidity and economic-obsolescence exposure are worse than typical for the cohort.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-09-28.
Where it can fly
1,472 nm from Carlsbad — seats full
1,840 nm — published max range
NonstopConditionalNeeds a fuel stop
Sample flight times
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
easy hop · 217 nm
Carlsbad → Aspen
conditional — hot/high airport · 654 nm
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
nonstop · 802 nm
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
nonstop · 947 nm
Dallas → Teterboro
nonstop · 1,251 nm
Carlsbad → Teterboro
fuel stop likely · 2,207 nm
Flight times are planning estimates in still air with standard reserves. Conditional trips depend on weight, temperature and the day's weather.
Lineage
7 models in this family. Tap any model to jump to its page.
What changed from the II (550)
Size & cabin
Size in perspective
Schematic · same scale
Length
47′ 2″
Wingspan
52′ 2″
Height
15′ 0″
Compare
II instead: 681 nm less range.
V instead: costs more to run; 196 nm less range.
Learjet 31A instead: about $189k cheaper to buy; 550 nm less range.
Gold marks the best figure in each row. Tap any aircraft name to open its page.
Owning one
Engines & programs
2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4B turbofans, 2,500 lbf takeoff / 2,375 lbf max continuous each (stock).
JT15D-4B: 3,500 hr overhaul interval with mid-life hot section (~1,750-1,800 hr). Extension routes exist (on-condition up to ~5,200 hr with approved monitoring per BJT; TBO Extension claims up to +2,300 hr; SkyWay FLEX ~$23,220 in fees, HSI extra).
Known issues
Corrosion hot spots under the lavatory, at the entry-door threshold and around belly antenna bases (PlanePHD); TKS fluid anti-ice system (panel porosity, pump, fluid) unique to the S550 within the 550 line; fuel boost pump wiring and fire bottle wiring ADs; A/C compressor motor brush fire AD with 500-hr repetitive brush replacement; hail damage history on at least one listed aircraft.
Before you buy
Support & programs
No confirmed airframe program for the legacy S550: Textron ProAdvantage/ProParts eligibility for the S550 not shown; JSSI Tip-to-Tail eligibility not confirmed.
Phase-type program: Phases 1-4 each 300 hr/24 mo; Phase 5 1,200 hr/36 mo (major, historically $75k-$200k in 2011 dollars for the Citation II family); calendar items (fire bottles, O2, ELT, halon hydro, transponder/pitot-static); structural/crack inspections from 5,000-10,000 hr, relevant because current listings show 7,955-13,811 hr airframes.
The full review
“The Citation S/II is what Cessna built in 1984 when it wanted more out of the Citation II without changing the cabin.”
The Citation S/II is what Cessna built in 1984 when it wanted more out of the Citation II without changing the cabin. It kept the II's fuselage and CE-500 type rating but added a supercritical wing with swept root cuffs, gap seals and cleaner fairings, JT15D-4B engines, TKS fluid ice protection in place of rubber boots, and 863 US gallons of usable fuel, 121 more than the II according to the type certificate data sheet. Only 160 were built from 1984 to 1988. The S/II cost about $3.3 million new in 1986 against $2.6 million for a straight II, and Cessna put the II back into production. The Citation V then stretched the S/II.
Pilot's take
The catch for anyone coming from single-pilot Citations is crew. The S/II was always a two-pilot airplane with an exemption layered on top, and the FAA is withdrawing that exemption. If you're paying two pilots anyway, the range and short-field numbers are strong for the money. If you wanted to fly it yourself, look at a Part 23 single-pilot jet instead.
Who this is for · A small operator or owner with a professional crew (or an owner-pilot paired with a qualified second pilot) flying roughly 150-350 hours a year on regional trips who wants Citation runway performance and more range than a Citation II for under $1 million.
Own a Cessna Citation S/II (S550)? Verify with its FAA registration to join the owners' thread and the real-cost poll.
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