Aug. 12--Cessna Aircraft's Citation M2 business jet has received final certification from civil aviation authorities in Brazil and Argentina, opening the way for deliveries to begin in those countries.
Cessna also said it expects certification soon in Brazil for its Citation Sovereign+ business jet.
The news was announced as Textron Aviation, which includes Cessna and Beechcraft Corp., takes part in this week's Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
LABACE, held at Sao Paulo's Congonhas Airport, opened Tuesday and runs through Thursday.
Textron Aviation is displaying a line-up of 13 Cessna and Beechcraft products at the show.
The company said it remains "bullish" on the Latin American market.
"Brazil remains the center of growth in Latin America, but the rest of the region, from Mexico to Chile, is flexing its economic muscle and we're seeing strong interest across our product line that matches the growth," Robert Gibbs, Textron Aviation's vice president of Latin America and Caribbean sales, said in a statement.
Business aviation in Latin America has grown nearly 4 percent in the last year to more than 5,000 business turbine aircraft based in the region, according to industry data, Textron said.
For the past few years, the market for business aviation in Latin America has been one of the largest in the world for Beechcraft and Cessna, the company said.
Individual wealth has risen dramatically in Latin America, powered mainly by oil production, it said.
As a result, Cessna and Beechcraft deliveries to the region have risen dramatically in recent years, it said.
The three biggest markets in the region for Textron Aviation are Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela.
Together, they produce nearly 80 percent of Latin America's oil, the company said.
"(That) corresponds to their reliance on business aviation to manage far-flung oil fields," Gibbs said. "We are also seeing strong GDP growth in most other countries in the region and that is a positive indicator for our industry, and it's why we continue to invest in new aircraft and enhanced service programs across all of our platforms."
Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @mmcmillin.
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