The CitationJet line is the most-owned light jet family in aviation — and one of the most-chartered. From the single-pilot M2 to the transcontinental CJ4, this is the financing conversation done by people who speak Williams, ProLine, and D085.
Cessna has delivered more than 2,000 CitationJets since the original CitationJet in 1993 — a lineage that ran through the CJ1, CJ2, CJ3, and CJ4 and today spans the single-pilot M2 up to the CJ4 Gen2. No light jet family has a deeper transaction history, and that depth is exactly what makes Citations among the most straightforward turbine aircraft to finance: lenders can value the collateral against decades of comparable sales, and resale liquidity is strong.
It's also why the Citation is a charter-fleet staple. The CJ line's single-pilot certification, runway flexibility, and Textron's global Citation Service Center network make it a workhorse on Part 135 certificates — which matters if your plan is to offset ownership cost by placing the aircraft with an operator. That decision changes the financing, and we cover it below.
This page is the turbine Cessna. The piston 172/182/206 line finances in a different rate category with a different lender pool — that's the piston Cessna page. If there's a Williams turbofan on your Citation, you're in the right place.
From the entry single-pilot M2 to the transcontinental CJ4 Gen2. All finance at the turbine rate; each has its own mission and market.
Payment is one line. Turbine buyers underwrite the whole picture — payment, program status, mission economics, and how charter changes the structure. Here's the data most brokers won't hand you.
| Aircraft | Market price | Down (15%) | Loan | Est. monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citation M2 Gen2 | $5,500,000 | $825,000 | $4,675,000 | $34,417 |
| Citation CJ3+ | $10,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $8,500,000 | $62,576 |
| Citation CJ4 Gen2 | $11,000,000 | $1,650,000 | $9,350,000 | $68,833 |
| Metric | CJ4 Gen2 | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Range (seats-full) | ~2,165 nm | longest in the CJ line |
| Total variable cost/hr | ~$1,650 | per Conklin & de Decker class data |
| Single-pilot certified | Yes | M2 · CJ3+ · CJ4 all single-pilot |
| Engine program | Williams TAP | enrollment expected at underwriting |
If you'll charter the jet to offset costs, the aircraft must be listed on your operator's D085 Operations Specifications — the FAA's master tail-number list — or it legally can't earn charter revenue. The financing decision and the "get on a 135 certificate" decision happen at the same table. We structure both together.
Turbine files close faster when the package is ready. Have these in hand and pre-approval runs in about two business days.
You don't need to shop financing like a commodity. Drop the tail number and we'll structure the deal around the actual aircraft — engine program, age, use, and all. Soft pull, pre-approval in about two business days.