Citation XLS+. The workhorse of European charter.
Eight or nine people, a cabin you can nearly stand in, and short field manners that get into airfields most midsize jets have to drive past. If you have flown privately in Europe, the odds are good that you have flown in one.
At a glance
What it carries
- PassengersUsually 8, sometimes 9A club four, a two place divan and a forward seat or two. Eight is the comfortable working number with luggage.
- RangeAround 1,700 to 2,100 nautical milesThe higher figure is a light cabin in still air. With eight aboard and bags, plan on something closer to the lower one.
- CabinAbout 5 ft 8 in high with a dropped aisleNot quite standing for most adults, but close, and far better than any light jet. A separate lavatory with a door at the rear.
- RunwayA little over 3,500 ft to take offShort field ability is the type's quiet advantage, and the reason it appears at airfields where its rivals cannot operate.
Manufacturer figures for the type. The XLS+ is one of a family, so check which version you are being offered: the Excel, XLS, XLS+ and the current XLS Gen2 all differ inside.
Why it is everywhere
Not the newest, not the fastest, always available
The Citation 560XL family has been in production since the late nineties, through the Excel, the XLS, the XLS+ and today's XLS Gen2, and it is among the most numerous business jets in European charter fleets. That is not a small thing when you are trying to fly on Friday. There are more of these aircraft within positioning distance of Britain than of almost any comparable type, which means better availability, more competition on a quote, and a realistic chance of an aircraft at short notice.
It earns its place on merit too. The cabin is tall enough that walking to your seat does not feel like an apology, the aisle drops so that headroom is usable, and it takes eight people with their luggage on any European sector without a discussion. It lands in under four thousand feet, which is why it turns up at airfields near country houses, at island airports and in Alpine valleys.
Aircraft are arranged with licensed commercial operators. If the XLS+ is not the right aeroplane for your trip we will say so; the type has clear limits and we would rather name them now.
Good for
When to choose it
- Groups of six to eight inside Europe, which is the single most common private flight from Britain
- Anywhere with a short runway: island airports, regional fields and Alpine valley airports where larger jets are restricted
- Business days out and back, where the aircraft waits and the party returns the same evening
- Trips where budget and availability matter more than a flat floor or a cabin crew member
- Ski season, where the aircraft reaches the valley airports and the hold takes the equipment for a family
- Short notice, because in Europe there is usually one free
Honest comparison
The XLS+ against the alternatives
| Aircraft | Typical seats | Cabin | Where it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation XLS+ | 8 to 9 | Nearly standing, dropped aisle | Short runways, wide availability, sensible cost. The European default |
| Phenom 300 | 6 to 7 | Seated, wide for its class | A size down. Faster and cheaper, but you stoop and you carry less |
| Challenger 350 | 8 to 9 | Full standing, flat floor | A size up. Twice the range, a hold you can reach in flight, a cabin crew member |
| Praetor 600 | 8 to 9 | Full standing, flat floor | A size up with the longest legs in its class, and fewer of them about |
| Turboprops | 6 to 8 | Seated, and noisier | Slower, but into grass and very short strips no jet can use |
See midsize jets for the class as a whole, and choosing a jet category if you are weighing the ladder for the first time.
Range on the map
How far it goes without stopping
The ring is the published range drawn as a true circle on the globe, which is why it bends on a flat map. Change the departure to see the reach from anywhere.
Citation XLS+ from Farnborough Airport (FAB). The solid ring is the published range with a light cabin, 2,100 nautical miles; the dashed ring is 85% of the 1,700 nautical miles to plan on with a full cabin, 1,445 nautical miles. Winds, payload and reserves reduce real range, so every trip is checked on the day.
Said honestly
What the type will not do
It will not cross the Atlantic. With a full cabin the honest working range is European, which covers the Mediterranean, the Alps, Scandinavia and the near Atlantic islands, and stops well short of the Gulf, the Canaries with a full load, or anything further.
There is no cabin crew member on most XLS+ charters, so catering is loaded cold. There is no separate cabin zone either: it is one space, and a conversation at the front is audible at the back. And while the dropped aisle gives you usable headroom, a tall passenger still stoops in the aisle and ducks at the door.
Short field ability is a characteristic of the type, not a permission. Airfields such as Saint-Tropez La Mole and several island and Alpine strips each apply their own approvals to aircraft, to operators and to individual crews, so we confirm the field with the operator before anything is agreed rather than assuming the aeroplane can go there. The true mountain altiports, Courchevel among them, are closed to jets of any size.
Where it goes
Routes that suit it
Comfortable from London
Departure airports
Shorter fields it reaches
Both ends
One itinerary, not three bookings
The flight, the cars at both ends and the handling agent are arranged together, and the driver is told the moment the aircraft moves. That is the part most people are really buying.
Request a quote
Tell us the trip and the date
Route, date, how many of you and what luggage. If the destination is a short or restricted airfield, say so at the start, because it narrows the aircraft and the operators quickly. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About the Citation XLS+
Can we stand up in it?
Almost. The cabin is around five feet eight inches high with a dropped aisle, so shorter passengers can walk upright and taller ones stoop slightly. For genuine standing headroom the step is to the Challenger 350.
What is the difference between the Excel, the XLS, the XLS+ and the Gen2?
The same airframe brought forward over twenty five years, with new engines, avionics and interiors at each step. The XLS+ is the common charter version; the Gen2 is the current production aircraft and the nicest inside.
Will eight of us and our bags fit?
Eight and luggage for a week is normal for the type. Eight with skis or golf for everyone is worth checking, and we will give you a straight answer rather than a hopeful one.
Can it fly to the Caribbean or New York?
No. This is a European aircraft with a full cabin. For the Atlantic the conversation starts at heavy jets.
Is it safe to use such a short runway?
Short field performance is designed into the type and the numbers are calculated for every departure by the operator, with the field, the weather and the load. Restricted airfields also require specific approvals, which we confirm before the trip is agreed.
One contact, wherever you are