Cessna Citation Mustang

The Cessna Citation Mustang is the smallest jet in the Citation family and one of the first very light jets. It has two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F engines, a Garmin G1000 flight deck and certification for a single pilot. The cabin, 2.97 m long, holds four club seats in two facing pairs.

Citation Mustang cabin: four seats and a toilet by the door

Passengers sit in two facing pairs with a folding table between them; the rear-facing seats recline. Opposite the door stands a cabinet with a chemical toilet without a flush, and its lid is a side seat with a belt, which is why the Citation Mustang can take five passengers. With five on board nobody can really use the toilet in flight, and on many aircraft only a curtain screens it.

• At 1.37 m high and 1.40 m wide, the cabin is lower and narrower than in the Citation M2 or the CJ1.
• No galley and no cabin attendant: some aircraft have a cabinet by the entrance for drinks and snacks.
• Wi-Fi depends on the aircraft, and many have none.

Baggage: weight matters more than volume

The rest of the 1.78 m³ is a cabinet in the cabin; the external holds open only on the ground. Four passengers in a Citation Mustang can bring one medium suitcase each plus hand luggage.

• Skis or golf bags: give the number and length, as the length of the holds decides what fits.
• With four people beyond about 1,300 km, the operator asks for the baggage weight and may plan a fuel stop.

Speed, range and runways

The Citation Mustang flies about 120 km/h slower than the M2, so a two-hour leg takes some 15-20 minutes longer. Cessna quoted 2,130 km with NBAA IFR reserves, but with two pilots, four passengers and bags the jet reaches its maximum weight before the tanks are full, so operators plan about 1,300 km as the longest leg.

Short take-off and landing distances open small airports to the jet:

• Cannes-Mandelieu (1,539 m) and Sion (2,000 m, mountain approach) pose no runway problem.
• Samedan, about 1,700 m above sea level, needs a crew with mandatory training and allows instrument approaches only in daylight.
• Saint-Tropez La Môle (1,071 m) takes only light jets and turboprops under seasonal limits; the operator decides on each aircraft.
• The 537 m sloped altiport at Courchevel is too short and needs a special qualification; the jet lands at Chambéry.
• London City needs an approval of aircraft and crew for its steep approach, so we usually plan Farnborough, Luton or Biggin Hill.

European details for a jet under 4 t

Citation Mustang routes from 13 hubs

Thirty one-way Citation Mustang flights run from Zurich - Sion (0:48 h) to Munich - Palma (2:43 h), all non-stop. Prices are for the whole aircraft with crew, without airport fees and passenger taxes; flight time is the great-circle distance plus taxi, climb and approach.

Up to two hours: Alps, Corsica and business cities

Two hours and more: the Balearics and the Riviera from London

The calculator shows an indicative price for this model or another very light jet on the route you choose.

What a Citation Mustang flight costs

The rate starts at EUR 2,500 per flight hour for the whole aircraft, with crew and fuel. Yet London Farnborough - Paris Le Bourget (1:08 h) starts at EUR 7,500, because the price also covers the operator's minimum charge, positioning from the aircraft's base and time on the ground.

Fixed costs weigh less on longer legs: Geneva - Barcelona (1:40 h) is from EUR 8,500 and London - Nice (2:23 h) from EUR 10,500. The Citation Mustang has a low hourly rate, but its cruise is slow, so beyond two hours a faster jet at a slightly higher rate can reach a similar total.

Paris - Geneva for the whole aircraft, divided between the passengers, before taxes and airport fees:

Ways to pay less

• Fly out and back on the same day if the crew's duty time allows: no hotel and no second positioning.
• Keep the departure time flexible, so an aircraft already near your airport can take the trip.
• For a return after two or three days, compare two one-way quotes with one where the jet waits.
• On legs over two hours, also ask for a Citation M2 or Phenom 100, whose shorter flight time can offset the higher rate.

Empty Legs on this type

As many air taxi companies in Europe fly the type, Empty Legs come up fairly often, mostly between northern Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Riviera, Corsica and Sardinia. They can cost 30-60% less than a normal charter, but date, route and time are fixed, and the operator can cancel the leg if the aircraft gets a full charter.

Send your route and a window of dates to empty-legs@jets.flights or check the Empty Legs page.

Jets to compare

Clients looking at the Citation Mustang usually also consider its successor, the Phenom 100 and the slightly larger CJ1.

How to book

For a quote we need:

• route, date, departure time and the return date if any;
• number of passengers and approximate baggage weight on legs over 1,300 km;
• skis, golf bags or a pet, with sizes and weight;
• if a similar very light jet is acceptable.

We check free Citation Mustang aircraft with operators holding an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and send each option with its base, number of pilots and cabin photos. We always try to offer the nearest aircraft, but each case depends on the operator's contract. Within Schengen the operator still needs passport or ID details; EU citizens flying to the UK need an ETA.

Citation Mustang: questions and answers

• • How much does a Citation Mustang flight cost?

  • From EUR 2,500 per flight hour for the whole aircraft. Milan - Cannes costs from EUR 7,000 and London - Geneva from EUR 9,000 one way, before airport fees and passenger taxes.

• • What is added to the table price?

  • Airport and handling fees, passenger taxes (about EUR 420 per passenger from France on European routes, about EUR 1,015 on longer ones and EUR 2,100 beyond 5,500 km, and EUR 100 from Italy), catering, winter de-icing and, for a return days later, crew hotel or empty legs.

• • How can I fly cheaper?

  • Return the same day, keep the departure time open so a nearby aircraft can fly, and on legs over two hours compare with a Citation M2. An Empty Leg saves the most.

• • Are Empty Legs common on the Citation Mustang?

  • Fairly common, mostly on short legs around the Alps, the Riviera and the islands, 30-60% below a normal charter but with a fixed date and route.

• • How many passengers fit?

  • Four in the club seats. A fifth can sit on the belted toilet seat, which then stays taken all flight; for five or six the Citation CJ3 is better.

• • Is there a toilet?

  • A chemical toilet in a cabinet by the door, with no compartment or washbasin. For longer trips the Citation M2 has one at the rear.

• • How far does it fly without a stop?

  • Cessna quoted 2,130 km. With four passengers operators plan up to about 1,300 km, so Munich - Palma (1,216 km) depends on wind and baggage.

• • How much baggage fits?

  • About 1.61 m³ in the nose and tail holds, enough for one medium suitcase per person with four on board. Skis and golf bags fit in limited numbers if you give their length.

• • Can I bring my dog?

  • A small dog usually flies in the cabin if the operator agrees, with a microchip, rabies vaccination and pet passport; the UK, Ireland, Malta, Finland and Norway also require tapeworm treatment.

• • Which ski airports can it use?

  • Sion and Chambéry without runway issues, Samedan with a trained crew. The Courchevel altiport is too short for a Citation Mustang.