Cessna Citation Excel: how 54 jets are really flown
The busiest 5% made more than 24 flights a month and the quietest 5% fewer than 4: over eight times as many, on the same type.
For the easiest-used 5%, a short runway is rare: 3% of departures or fewer. At the harder end, 42% or more leave from one.
At the harder end, one Citation Excel in twenty sees a freeze and a thaw on 27% or more of its nights. At the easier end, most see almost none.
The hardest-worked 5% log ≈438 h a year or more; the easiest-used, ≈55 h or less. The middle aircraft sits at ≈175 h.
Fatigue
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
The middle Citation Excel flies 1.3 hours for every landing. One in twenty lands every 1.0 hours or sooner, the most cycles for its time.
Middle half 1.2–1.5 : 1Harder end: 5% at 1.0 : 1 or lessEasier end: 5% at 1.7 : 1 or more
Middle half 32–53%Harder end: 5% at 69% or moreEasier end: 5% at 22% or less
Middle half 277–459 nmLowest 5%: 182 nm or lessHighest 5%: 619 nm or more
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Spread of trip lengths
All 54 Citation ExcelsThe data behind it
Every measure for the 54 North American Citation Excels, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.3 : 1 | 1.2–1.5 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 43% | 32–53% |
| Leg length Median leg | 359 nm | 277–459 nm |
Corrosion
What the air around it does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
The middle Citation Excel spends 1% of its nights within 2 km of the coast. One in twenty spends 12% or more of them there.
Middle half 0–3%Harder end: 5% at 12% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 5.2–8.3 hHarder end: 5% at 10.3 h or moreEasier end: 5% at 4.0 h or less
Middle half 2–16%Harder end: 5% at 27% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Salt air across the fleet
39 Citation ExcelsThe data behind it
Every measure for the 39 of the 54 North American Citation Excels with enough nights at known fields, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026 (1 on their record since 1 Jan 2025: too few in the 12 months).| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 1% | 0–3% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 4% | 1–22% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.6 h | 5.2–8.3 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 7% | 2–16% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 10.2 g/m³ | 8.4–11.1 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
The middle Citation Excel leaves from a short runway on 10% of its departures. One in twenty does on 42% or more.
Middle half 6–18%Harder end: 5% at 42% or moreEasier end: 5% at 3% or less
Middle half 2–8%Harder end: 5% at 20% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 1,243–2,053 ftHarder end: 5% at 2,993 ft or moreEasier end: 5% at 794 ft or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Runway margin at departure
6,101 departuresThe data behind it
Every measure for the 54 North American Citation Excels, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 10% | 6–18% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 4% | 2–8% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,633 ft | 1,243–2,053 ft |
Utilization
How steadily the fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
The middle Citation Excel made 10 flights a month. The busiest 5% made 24 or more, the quietest 4 or fewer.
Middle half 6.1–16.8Harder end: 5% at 24.8 or moreEasier end: 5% at 3.3 or less
Middle half 4.2–10.8Harder end: 5% at 12.5 or moreEasier end: 5% at 2.4 or less
Middle half 97–261 hHarder end: 5% at ≈438 h or moreEasier end: 5% at ≈55 h or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Month by month
12 monthsMedian flights per aircraft that flew that month · darker bar is the busiest month, April 2026
The data behind it
Every measure for the 41 of the 54 North American Citation Excels with at least 40% of their flights tracked, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 10.3 | 6.1–16.8 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 6.4 | 4.2–10.8 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈175 h | 97–261 h |
Buying, selling or financing a Citation Excel?
See where your Citation Excel sits in the fleet.
Enter a tail number to place it against these 54 aircraft. TailCheck grades it on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization, with every percentile shown.
Where Citation Excels are based and fly
Anoka is home to more Citation Excels than any other field, 2 of the 45 with a home base.
Ronald Reagan Washington National–Greenbrier Valley is the busiest route: 42 flights by 1 different aircraft.
Where Citation Excels are based
| Field | Share | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Anoka | 2 | |
| McClellan-Palomar | 2 | |
| Dallas Love | 2 | |
| Eppley | 2 | |
| Dekalb-Peachtree | 2 | |
| Marietta, Cobb -McCollum | 2 |
Busiest Citation Excel routes
| Between | Flights |
|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Washington National ⇄ Greenbrier Valley | 42 flights |
| Austin-Bergstrom ⇄ Dallas Love | 22 |
| Lawrence G. Hanscom ⇄ Portland Jetport | 22 |
| Dallas Love ⇄ William P Hobby | 20 |
| Dekalb-Peachtree ⇄ Thomasville | 20 |
| Lawrence G. Hanscom ⇄ Washington Dulles | 17 |
Longest Citation Excel flights
| Between | Distance · time |
|---|---|
| Gallatin → Palm Beach | 1,871 nm · 4 h 29 min |
| McClellan-Palomar → Charlotte Douglas | 1,799 nm · 4 h 21 min |
| McCarran → Orlando | 1,765 nm · 5 h 12 min |
| McClellan-Palomar → Asheville | 1,720 nm · 3 h 57 min |
| Henderson → Tampa | 1,720 nm · 4 h 11 min |
Busiest Citation Excels this year
The busiest Citation Excel made 31 flights a month, three times the middle aircraft.
Even the tenth on this list made 18.
Ranked by flights a month · updated monthly
| # | Tail | Flights a month | Estimated hours a year | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N872JS | 31 | 611 h | Check this tail → |
| 2 | N431CB | 27 | 335 h | Check this tail → |
| 3 | N540PJ | 25 | 338 h | Check this tail → |
| 4 | N668TX | 24 | 441 h | Check this tail → |
| 5 | N694PH | 23 | 438 h | Check this tail → |
| 6 | N3410 | 21 | 330 h | Check this tail → |
| 7 | N275BT | 21 | 300 h | Check this tail → |
| 8 | N227VR | 21 | 353 h | Check this tail → |
| 9 | N334PM | 19 | 315 h | Check this tail → |
| 10 | N933MR | 18 | 261 h | Check this tail → |
Full Citation Excel rankings →Checking several tails? Unlimited for $995 a month →
Citation Excel vs other aircraft of its size
Medians for each North American fleet, same window and method.
| Type | Tracked | Flights a month | Hours a year | Median leg | Hours per landing | Short hops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna Citation Excel | 54 | 10.3 | 175 h | 359 nm | 1.3 : 1 | 43% |
| Cessna Citation XLS | 391 | 8.3 | 131 h | 348 nm | 1.3 : 1 | 44% |
| Hawker 800XP/850XP/900XP/750 | 396 | 9.8 | 157 h | 401 nm | 1.4 : 1 | 40% |
| Cessna Citation V/Ultra/Encore | 380 | 5.2 | 84 h | 315 nm | 1.3 : 1 | 49% |
| Pilatus PC-24 | 151 | 9.5 | 159 h | 361 nm | 1.4 : 1 | 42% |
Citation Excel on paper
Certified figures come from the type certificate data sheet.
We don’t have a manufacturer source for the Cessna Citation Excel yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Citation Excel | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 20,000 lb | UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00087 Issue 2, p.53 |
| Maximum ramp weight (certified) | 20,200 lb | UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00087 Issue 2, p.53 |
| Fuel capacity, US gallons (certified) | 1,006 US gal | UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00087 Issue 2, p.52 — total of the tanks listed on the certificate: two wing tanks, 503.0 US gal usable each |
| Passengers | Up to 12 certified | UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00087 Issue 2, p.54 |
| Range (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
| High-speed cruise (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
| Length (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
| Wingspan (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
| Height (manufacturer) | — | No manufacturer source yet |
Chartering a Citation Excel
22 of the 54 North American Citation Excels we track are on our charter list (41%).
Where charter Citation Excels are based
| Field | Share | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Anoka | 2 | |
| McClellan-Palomar | 2 | |
| Dallas Love | 2 | |
| Addison | 1 | |
| Arapahoe | 1 | |
| DuPage | 1 |
Charter status is our own list, built from FAA records and public listings of charter aircraft; aircraft flown by a fractional program (NetJets, Flexjet and the like) are counted as fractional, not charter. No charter rates: prices depend on the operator and the trip. Check a specific aircraft’s record with its tail number before you book.
Citation Excel questions
How many hours a year does a Citation Excel fly?
The median North American Citation Excel flies about 175 estimated hours a year; the middle half sits between 97 and 261. About 1 in 20 flies more than 438.
How often does a Citation Excel fly?
10 flights a month on 6 flying days at the median. About 1 in 20 makes more than 24 flights a month.
How long is a typical Citation Excel flight?
The median leg is 359 nm. About 1 in 20 aircraft average more than 619 nm a leg.
How often do Citation Excel aircraft use short runways?
At the median, 10% of departures are from fields whose longest runway is under 1.25 times the type’s takeoff distance. About 1 in 20 keep it to 3% or less.
Is a high-hours Citation Excel a bad buy?
Not by itself. High hours on long legs are gentler on the structure than the same hours on short hops. Look at hours per landing and short-hop share alongside hours.
Where are most Citation Excel aircraft based?
In North America, Anoka is home to the most, followed by McClellan-Palomar and Dallas Love. A base is the field an aircraft touches on most of its flying days, month after month.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Cessna Citation Excel fleet statistics.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/aircraft/cessna/citation-excel
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/fleet/cessna-citation-excel/fatigue" title="Fatigue" width="100%" height="1180" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Cessna Citation Excel aircraft with most departures in North America and at least 20 tracked flights in the latest twelve full months. Flight measures, bases, routes and rankings use ADS-B tracking 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; corrosion and engines-and-brakes exposure use the same twelve months, or an aircraft’s record since 1 Jan 2025 when it had too few nights or departures in them. Estimated hours from time in the air. Tracking misses some flights, so counts and hours are minimums. ADS-B coverage grew over the window, so we don’t compare one year with the last. Tracking can’t tell one variant from another; the variant split, the busiest table’s variants and the age table use the FAA registry, so they cover US-registered aircraft only. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Short-runway figures use the manufacturer’s published takeoff distance where our sources hold one for every variant (the longest, where tracking can’t tell variants apart), and a reference figure otherwise. Corrosion measures cover the aircraft we can place on enough nights, some over the longer window when the twelve months had too few. Charter status is our own list, built from FAA records and public listings of charter aircraft; aircraft flown by a fractional program (NetJets, Flexjet and the like) are counted as fractional, not charter. About our data