Cessna rolls out first production Latitude jet

Textron Aviation said Thursday it rolled out of the factory its first production Cessna Citation Latitude jet.

The rollout comes three years after the new-design jet was announced to the market, Textron Aviation said in a news release.

Thursday’s event marks the first Latitude to come off the production line in its main factory in Wichita. That production line also comprises some new elements, such as automated robotics and ergonomically friendly tooling stations.

“Our product investments extend beyond the design and performance features of the aircraft with innovations in our manufacturing processes,” Scott Ernest, Textron Aviation president and CEO, said in the release.

Textron Aviation has four Latitude test jets that to date have completed 500 flights and 1,200 hours.

Though the Latitude is a midsize business jet, it has the widest fuselage of any Citation jet, and a 6-foot-high cabin.

The airplane is expected to receive Federal Aviation Administration certification in the second quarter of 2015, with first deliveries expected in the second half of 2015.

This story was originally published January 29, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Cessna rolls out first production Latitude jet."