Citation Sovereign vs G150: how the two fleets are really flown
On three of the four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Citation Sovereign and the G150. The clearest difference is short runways: the middle Citation Sovereign at 3%, the middle G150 at 13%, with no overlap between their middle halves.
Cessna Citation Sovereign fleet statistics →Gulfstream G150 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle G150 at 1.5 : 1, the middle Citation Sovereign at 1.4 : 1.
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
Hours per landing
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active aircraft of each type in North America: 287 Citation Sovereigns and 69 G150s.| Measure | Citation Sovereign median | Middle half | G150 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.4 : 1 | 1.3–1.7 : 1 | 1.5 : 1 | 1.3–1.9 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 39% | 31–47% | 32% | 20–45% |
| Leg length Median leg | 411 nm | 324–543 nm | 471 nm | 353–645 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle G150 at <1%, the middle Citation Sovereign at 0%.
What the air around the fleet does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
Salt air
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Aircraft we can place on enough nights at known fields: 186 Citation Sovereigns and 42 G150s.| Measure | Citation Sovereign median | Middle half | G150 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 0% | 0–4% | <1% | 0–3% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 7% | 2–37% | 6% | 1–12% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.8 h | 5.3–8.8 h | 5.5 h | 4.1–7.1 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 8% | 3–16% | 12% | 2–23% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 9.3 g/m³ | 8.0–11.1 g/m³ | 8.0 g/m³ | 6.2–10.7 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On short runways, the fleets part: the middle G150 at 13%, the middle Citation Sovereign at 3%, and their middle halves don't overlap.
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
Short runways
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Departures we could assess: 287 Citation Sovereigns and 69 G150s.| Measure | Citation Sovereign median | Middle half | G150 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 3% | 1–5% | 13% | 8–23% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 5% | 2–9% | 5% | 0–10% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,569 ft | 1,282–1,835 ft | 1,683 ft | 1,193–2,317 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Citation Sovereign at 7, the middle G150 at 5.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Citation Sovereign (287) and every active G150 (69). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Citation Sovereign median | Middle half | G150 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 6.5 | 4.2–9.7 | 4.9 | 3.6–7.5 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 4.7 | 3.0–6.6 | 3.9 | 2.9–5.4 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈113 h | 71–178 h | ≈99 h | 67–140 h |
Choosing between a Citation Sovereign and a G150?
Check both tails, not the types.
Enter the two tails on your shortlist. TailCheck grades each one on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization against its own type, then puts them side by side.
Trip-length mix
40% of Citation Sovereign legs and 34% of G150 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 6 percentage points; 19% and 22% were over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Citation Sovereign | G150 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 19% | 16% |
| 150–300 | 21% | 18% |
| 300–450 | 14% | 16% |
| 450–600 | 10% | 13% |
| 600–900 | 17% | 16% |
| 900–1,200 | 10% | 11% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 7% | 8% |
| 1,800+ | 2% | 3% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 26,464 legs by 287 Citation Sovereigns and 4,234 legs by 69 G150s, every leg with a known distance. The Citation Sovereign's trips bunch at 150–300 nm, the G150's at 150–300 nm.
Citation Sovereign vs G150: on paper
Certified figures come from each type certificate data sheet, the rest from the manufacturer. Each figure names its source; a range covers the variants one page tracks together; a dash means we don’t have a source for that figure yet. We don’t have a manufacturer source for the G150 yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Citation Sovereign | G150 |
|---|---|---|
| Range (manufacturer) | 3,200 nmManufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 26 Jan 2021) | —Not in our sources yet |
| High-speed cruise (manufacturer) | 460 ktManufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 26 Jan 2021) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | 3,530 ftManufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 26 Jan 2021) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Cabin length (manufacturer) | 25 ft 3 inManufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 26 Jan 2021) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 30,300–30,775 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.033 Issue 9, p.14 | 26,100 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.228 Issue 03, p.10 |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | 11,223–11,394 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.033 Issue 9, p.11 | 10,300 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.228 Issue 03, p.9 — total of the tanks listed on the certificate: usable wing 3,574, collectors 105, CTS 1,315 and fuselage 5,306 lb |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 47,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.033 Issue 9, p.13 | 45,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.228 Issue 03, p.9 |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 12EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.033 Issue 9, p.15 | Up to 9EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.228 Issue 03, p.10 |
Citation Sovereign vs G150: questions
Which is flown more, the Citation Sovereign or the G150?
The Citation Sovereign, by about 14 estimated hours a year: the middle Citation Sovereign flew ≈113 h a year, the middle G150 ≈99 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Citation Sovereigns logged 71–178 h and of G150s 67–140 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 7 a month for the Citation Sovereign and 5 for the G150.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Citation Sovereign or the G150?
The Citation Sovereign: its middle aircraft flies 1.4 hours per landing, against 1.5 for the G150, 0.1 hours fewer per landing. More landings per hour means more pressurization cycles for the same time in the air. Short hops, legs under 300 nm, make up 39% of the middle Citation Sovereign's legs and 32% of the middle G150's.
Which flies longer trips, the Citation Sovereign or the G150?
The G150, by 60 nm on the median leg: 471 nm for the middle aircraft, against 411 nm for the Citation Sovereign. 40% of Citation Sovereign legs and 34% of G150 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 6 percentage points; 19% and 22% were over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Citation Sovereign or the G150?
The G150, by less than one percentage point: its middle aircraft spends <1% of its nights within 2 km of the coast, the middle Citation Sovereign 0%. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Cessna Citation Sovereign vs Gulfstream G150.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/cessna-citation-sovereign-vs-gulfstream-g150
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/compare/cessna-citation-sovereign-vs-gulfstream-g150/fatigue" title="Fatigue: Hours per landing" width="100%" height="360" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Citation Sovereigns and G150s with most departures in North America, ADS-B tracking. Flight measures cover 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; each figure is the median of its own fleet, with the middle half (25th–75th percentile). Estimated hours from time in the air. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Specifications from type certificate data sheets and the manufacturers, each cited. About our data