Cessna Citation III/VI/VII: how 117 jets are really flown
The busiest 5% made more than 17 flights a month and the quietest 5% fewer than 3: over six times as many, on the same type.
At the harder end, one Citation III in twenty sees a freeze and a thaw on 29% or more of its nights. At the easier end, most see almost none.
The hardest-worked 5% log 17 flights a month or more; the easiest-used, 3 or less. The middle aircraft sits at 5.
The harder end, one aircraft in twenty, is at 3,317 ft or more; the easier end at 544 ft or less.
Fatigue
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
The middle Citation III flies 1.3 hours for every landing. One in twenty lands every 0.9 hours or sooner, the most cycles for its time.
Middle half 1.1–1.5 : 1Harder end: 5% at 0.9 : 1 or lessEasier end: 5% at 2.0 : 1 or more
Middle half 30–59%Harder end: 5% at 73% or moreEasier end: 5% at 10% or less
Middle half 228–532 nmLowest 5%: 162 nm or lessHighest 5%: 805 nm or more
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Spread of trip lengths
All 117 Citation IIIsThe data behind it
Every measure for the 117 North American Citation IIIs, 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 | 1.1–1.5 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 46% | 30–59% |
| Leg length Median leg | 333 nm | 228–532 nm |
Corrosion
What the air around it does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
The middle Citation III spends 0% of its nights within 2 km of the coast. One in twenty spends 25% or more of them there.
Middle half 0–2%Harder end: 5% at 25% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 5.2–8.4 hHarder end: 5% at 12.3 h or moreEasier end: 5% at 3.8 h or less
Middle half 2–16%Harder end: 5% at 29% 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
73 Citation IIIsThe data behind it
Every measure for the 73 of the 117 North American Citation IIIs with enough nights at known fields, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026 (3 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 | 0% | 0–2% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 4% | 1–11% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.7 h | 5.2–8.4 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 5% | 2–16% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 10.8 g/m³ | 8.0–12.9 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
The middle Citation III takes off at 5,000 ft density altitude or more on 3% of its departures. One in twenty does on 18% or more. Short-runway departures aren't compared yet: we don't have a sourced takeoff distance for every Citation III/VI/VII variant.
Middle half 0–5%Harder end: 5% at 18% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 1,289–2,111 ftHarder end: 5% at 3,317 ft or moreEasier end: 5% at 544 ft or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
The data behind it
Every measure for the 117 North American Citation IIIs, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 3% | 0–5% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,719 ft | 1,289–2,111 ft |
Utilization
How steadily the fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
The middle Citation III made 5 flights a month. The busiest 5% made 17 or more, the quietest 3 or fewer.
Middle half 3.7–8.2Harder end: 5% at 17.6 or moreEasier end: 5% at 2.8 or less
Middle half 2.7–5.4Harder end: 5% at 10.2 or moreEasier end: 5% at 2.3 or less
Middle half 56–144 hHarder end: 5% at ≈258 h or moreEasier end: 5% at ≈37 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 117 North American Citation IIIs, every active aircraft (no 40% tracking floor here: on this type it would change which aircraft are compared, not just drop undercounted ones), 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 5.2 | 3.7–8.2 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 3.5 | 2.7–5.4 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈88 h | 56–144 h |
Buying, selling or financing a Citation III?
See where your Citation III sits in the fleet.
Enter a tail number to place it against these 117 aircraft. TailCheck grades it on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization, with every percentile shown.
Where Citation IIIs are based and fly
San Antonio is home to more Citation IIIs than any other field, 10 of the 97 with a home base.
Austin-Bergstrom–San Antonio is the busiest route: 151 flights by 12 different aircraft.
Where Citation IIIs are based
| Field | Share | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 10 | |
| Addison | 7 | |
| Dallas Love | 4 | |
| Del Norte | 4 | |
| Chippewa Valley | 3 | |
| Joe Foss | 3 |
Busiest Citation III routes
| Between | Flights |
|---|---|
| Austin-Bergstrom ⇄ San Antonio | 151 flights |
| Austin-Bergstrom ⇄ Dallas Love | 146 |
| Dallas Love ⇄ San Antonio | 94 |
| Joe Foss ⇄ Rapid City | 86 |
| William P Hobby ⇄ San Antonio | 73 |
| Fort Worth Meacham ⇄ San Antonio | 58 |
Longest Citation III flights
| Between | Distance · time |
|---|---|
| Portland → Daytona Beach | 2,181 nm · 6 h 03 min |
| Portland → Philadelphia | 2,085 nm · 4 h 35 min |
| Reno/Tahoe → Orlando Sanford | 2,003 nm · 5 h 05 min |
| San Francisco → Virginia Tech/Montgomery | 1,985 nm · 4 h 50 min |
| Reno/Tahoe → Washington Dulles | 1,950 nm · 4 h 03 min |
Busiest Citation IIIs this year
The busiest Citation III made 23 flights a month, four times the middle aircraft.
Even the tenth on this list made 17.
Ranked by flights a month · updated monthly
| # | Tail | Base | Flights a month | Estimated hours a year | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N650W | Austin-Bergstrom | 23 | 286 h | Check this tail → |
| 2 | N98XS | San Antonio | 22 | 317 h | Check this tail → |
| 3 | N7AB | San Antonio | 21 | 328 h | Check this tail → |
| 4 | N806SQ | Dallas Love | 20 | 332 h | Check this tail → |
| 5 | N595DC | San Antonio | 20 | 246 h | Check this tail → |
| 6 | N902F | San Antonio | 19 | 302 h | Check this tail → |
| 7 | N308MR | San Antonio | 17 | 251 h | Check this tail → |
| 8 | N831VP | — | 17 | 295 h | Check this tail → |
| 9 | N325RD | — | 17 | 210 h | Check this tail → |
| 10 | N650JL | San Antonio | 17 | 212 h | Check this tail → |
Citation III 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 III/VI/VII | 117 | 5.2 | 88 h | 333 nm | 1.3 : 1 | 46% |
| Embraer Phenom 300 | 581 | 17.1 | 272 h | 344 nm | 1.2 : 1 | 45% |
| Cessna Citation CJ4 | 325 | 5.6 | 92 h | 366 nm | 1.3 : 1 | 42% |
| Cessna Citation II/Bravo/SII | 257 | 4.7 | 76 h | 292 nm | 1.2 : 1 | 51% |
Citation III/VI/VII on paper
Certified figures aren’t shown for the Cessna Citation III/VI/VII: we haven’t cited a type certificate data sheet for it yet.
Chartering a Citation III
44 of the 117 North American Citation IIIs we track are on our charter list (38%).
Charter aircraft flew a median 144 estimated hours a year on 8 flights a month; the rest flew 73 hours on 5.
Where charter Citation IIIs are based
| Field | Share | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 7 | |
| Addison | 3 | |
| Dallas Love | 3 | |
| Fort Lauderdale | 3 | |
| Clark | 3 | |
| Chippewa Valley | 2 |
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 III questions
How many hours a year does a Citation III/VI/VII fly?
The median North American Citation III/VI/VII flies about 88 estimated hours a year; the middle half sits between 56 and 144. About 1 in 20 flies more than 258.
How often does a Citation III/VI/VII fly?
5 flights a month on 4 flying days at the median. About 1 in 20 makes more than 17 flights a month.
How long is a typical Citation III/VI/VII flight?
The median leg is 333 nm. About 1 in 20 aircraft average more than 805 nm a leg.
Is a high-hours Citation III/VI/VII 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 III/VI/VII aircraft based?
In North America, San Antonio is home to the most, followed by Addison 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 III/VI/VII fleet statistics.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/aircraft/cessna/citation-iii-vi-vii
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/fleet/cessna-citation-iii-vi-vii/fatigue" title="Fatigue" width="100%" height="1180" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Cessna Citation III/VI/VII 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