Cessna Citation Encore

The Cessna Citation Encore is the final and most powerful version of the Citation V family, model 560, and replaced the Citation Ultra. Fuselage and cabin stayed the same, 5.28 m long and 1.45 m high, while Cessna fitted Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535A engines, larger tanks, trailing-link main gear and a refreshed interior. The last variant, the Encore+, adds digitally controlled engines and a Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit.

For a light jet the cabin is long: six people sit in proper seats. Typical Citation Encore trips last one to three hours, such as Munich to Cannes-Mandelieu or Zurich to Lisbon.

Seven seats and an enclosed toilet

The usual Citation Encore layout starts with a seat by the door facing backwards, followed by four club seats with fold-out tables and two forward-facing seats at the rear. Some aircraft have a two-seat divan opposite the bar instead. The toilet at the back closes with rigid doors, and in part of the fleet its seat has a belt and counts as an eighth place.

Baggage and the ski tube

Suitcases travel in the nose and tail holds, loaded from outside, and the rear hold of the Citation Encore has a tube for skis. Inside there is a wardrobe by the door, a compartment next to the toilet and drawers under the seats. Four people can bring large cases for a week; six should take a medium case and a soft bag each.

Dogs and cats fly in the cabin next to their owner once the operator has accepted them. EU travel needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination (the first one at least 21 days before departure) and an EU pet passport; dogs entering Finland, Ireland, Malta, Norway or the UK also need tapeworm treatment 1-5 days before arrival.

Citation Encore performance and airports

With four passengers and NBAA IFR reserves the Citation Encore covers 3,087 km; Cessna quoted 3,260 km for the Encore+ with a 185 km alternate. Seven people and their bags bring it down to about 2,611 km, and a winter headwind on legs to Portugal or the Canary Islands takes off more. The European type certificate requires two pilots for both versions.

About 1,195 m of runway opens most small European airports, with weight and temperature checked for the day:

• Cannes-Mandelieu (1,539 m) and Sion (2,000 m, mountain approach)
• Samedan, about 1,700 m above sea level: crews with airport training only, and on hot days a lower take-off weight
• London City and Lugano only with an operator approved for the steep approach, so London trips usually go to Luton, Farnborough or Biggin Hill
• Not Saint-Tropez La Môle (1,071 m) or the 537 m sloped Courchevel altiport, which also needs a special qualification: use Cannes-Mandelieu or Chambéry

European rules that affect this jet

Citation Encore routes and prices

Thirty one-way examples from the thirteen hubs, from Munich - Samedan (0:50 h) to Paris - Mykonos (3:33 h), every one without a fuel stop. Prices cover the whole aircraft with crew; airport fees and passenger taxes are added in the quote.

Under two hours: ski airports, the Riviera and Sardinia

Two to four hours: Iberia, Greece and the Atlantic

Use the calculator for an indicative price on your own route, for this jet or another light jet of its size.

Citation Encore charter price

A flight hour starts at EUR 3,200 for the whole aircraft, crew and fuel included. Short trips cost more than the hourly rate suggests: Munich - Samedan (0:50 h) starts at EUR 7,500, as the operator's minimum charge, positioning and handling apply on any leg.

On longer routes the hourly part dominates: Geneva - Malaga (2:23 h) is from EUR 12,000 and Zurich - Lisbon (2:51 h) from EUR 13,500. Six passengers pay the same total as two.

On London Farnborough - Nice the aircraft price divides like this:

How to lower the price

• Fly out and back on the same day when the route is short, so the crew needs no hotel
• Ask us to quote a Citation Ultra as well: it has the same cabin, and one may be based closer to you
• Leave an hour or two of flexibility so an aircraft already nearby can take the trip
• Compare a waiting aircraft with two one-way flights when you stay away for several days

Empty Legs with this aircraft

Few Citation Encore aircraft fly charter in Europe, so their Empty Legs are infrequent. When they appear, they are usually returns from summer destinations such as Nice, Palma or Olbia to the aircraft's base, and can be 30-60% below the normal price.

Ultra, CJ3, CJ4 or XLS

These are the aircraft most often weighed against the Citation Encore.

Booking a flight

Tell us:

• route, date and time
• passengers and baggage, with skis, golf bags and pets listed separately
• whether an Encore+ matters to you or any aircraft of the size will do

We search operators holding an AOC and always try to offer the nearest free Citation Encore with a similar alternative, though each case depends on the operator's contract. Schengen flights have no passport control, but the operator needs ID details for every passenger; EU citizens entering the UK need an ETA.

Citation Encore: questions and answers

• • What does a Citation Encore flight cost?

  • From EUR 3,200 per flight hour. Paris Le Bourget - Nice is from EUR 9,000, London Farnborough - Lisbon from EUR 13,000 and Larnaca - Rome from EUR 15,000 for the whole aircraft one way, before airport fees and taxes.

• • What is included and what comes on top?

  • The table price covers aircraft, crew and fuel. Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes, catering, winter de-icing and crew hotels on multi-day trips are added; a Milan departure, for example, adds EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km.

• • How can I pay less?

  • Return the same day on short legs, keep the time flexible and let us quote a Citation Ultra or CJ3 based nearer, since positioning often decides the total.

• • Are there Empty Legs on the Encore?

  • Rarely, mostly from Riviera and island airports in summer. They can be 30-60% cheaper, but the date is fixed and the leg can be withdrawn.

• • What is the difference between the Encore and the Encore+?

  • Cabin, seats and baggage are identical. The Encore+ has PW535B engines with digital control, Collins Pro Line 21 avionics and a little more range; the state of the interior matters more to passengers.

• • How many passengers fit?

  • Seven in seats and an eighth on the toilet seat if it has a belt. Five or six is the comfortable number on legs over two hours.

• • Is the toilet enclosed?

  • Yes, it sits at the rear behind rigid doors, not behind a curtain.

• • How far does it fly non-stop?

  • 3,087 km with four passengers and about 2,611 km with a full cabin: Zurich - Lisbon or Madrid - Tenerife without a stop, while London - Larnaca needs one.

• • Can we bring a dog and skis?

  • A dog flies in the cabin once the operator agrees; for the UK, only on approved routes and airports. Skis fit the tube in the rear hold, so tell us how many pairs.