Midsize speed at light-jet cost
A 459kt cruise and 51,000 ft service ceiling allow transcontinental flights (Brazil-US with 1 stop) at an operating cost roughly 30% below used Citation X or Hawker 800XP aircraft.
Cessna Citation III
C650Midsize JetDiscontinued1983–1992
Range
2,000 NM · 3,704 km
MTOW
9,979 kg
Cruise
459 kt · 850 km/h
Mach 0.851 · MMO
Seats
9
up to 9 passengers
Used price
US$ 975,000
The Cessna Citation III is a midsize jet produced between 1983 and 1992. Price: the Cessna Citation III is out of production and, used, the market median is around US$ 975,000. Median from Jet Tracker's price research as of 06/2026. It has a range of 2000 nm, a cruise speed of 459 kt (850 km/h), Mach 0.851, up to 9 passengers. In Brazil there are 8 active units in the RAB-ANAC, excluding cancelled registrations. There are 21 aircraft from this family for sale today, across 25 listings on the portals Jet Tracker tracks (global market, not Brazil only).
Source: RAB-ANAC (data as of 11/11/2026) and Jet Tracker catalog (spec sheet reviewed on 11/8/2026).
Acquisition price · pre-owned market
limited data25 active listings (global)Jet Tracker curation · 6 sources · 6/4/2026
US$ 975.0KR$ 5.4M
market medianaging ≈ −1.7%/yr−71% vs Midsize median
Entry
US$ 850.0K
model year 1984
Best value
US$ 900.0K
model year 1986
Top of range
US$ 1.0M
model year 1989
Basis
Listings
real listings
Minimum
US$ 500.0K
R$ 2.8M
Median
US$ 975.0K
R$ 5.4M
Maximum
US$ 1.1M
R$ 6.1M
Depreciation curve by year of manufacture
CAGR +1.8%/yr·1983→1989
Market median by vintage (USD). Light-blue band = min/max range observed across real listings. Points without reliable public listings (n ≤ 1) use Bluebook/curve interpolation and are flagged as lower confidence.
3 of 4 points with reduced confidence (n ≤ 1 listing observed). The estimate for these years comes from Aircraft Bluebook / market-curve interpolation, not from direct listings.
Landed in Brazil
Index ≈ ×1.27 to ×1.62 on the aircraft value, already with ferry, ANAC nationalization, IPI and ICMS.
Through a qualified importer
US$ 637.0K – 1.6M
R$ 3.5M – 8.7M · Agreement 75/91 · IPI + ICMS ~7 to 12%
Direct import
US$ 722.5K – 1.8M
R$ 4.0M – 9.9M · IPI + full ICMS ~25 to 32%
Market estimate: value + ferry + ANAC nationalization + taxes, no legal review. II, PIS and COFINS are 0% for aircraft (NCM 88.02); IPI is 6.5% (3.25% for air taxi) until Dec 31, 2026; ~4% ICMS only through a qualified importer (Agreement 75/91).
Cost per flight hour
Operate · owned
US$ 3.7K/h
R$ 20.4K/h · Variable/h
- Fixed/yr
- US$ 396.6K
- Total/h @ 200 hrs/yr
- US$ 5.7K/h
Charter · 🌎 World
US$ 3.4K – 4.6K/h
R$ 18.9K – 25.6K/h
Charter · 🇧🇷 Brazil
US$ 3.8K – 5.9K/h
R$ 21.1K – 32.8K/h
Operate = direct cost/hour (fuel + maintenance + engine); excludes fixed costs (hangar, crew, insurance). World: hourly rate published by charter operators. Brazil: charter is quoted per leg, so the hourly figure is an estimate from route quotes.
How we read this price · 6 sources · researched 6/4/2026
Median and price range for pre-owned aircraft, compiled by Jet Tracker from asking prices in listings and the price guides in the sources below, checked on 6/4/2026. 3 of 4 model years have an observed listing. The rest are estimates from the market curve between model years and are flagged in the chart.
- GlobalAir - Citation III for sale
- FlyUSA - How much is a Cessna Citation
- evoJets - Citation III sales
- AviaCost / Aircraft Cost Calculator - Citation III operating costs
- Aeromercado - Cessna Citation 650 III 1984 (BR)
- TradingEconomics - USD/BRL
PTAX · R$ 5.5605 / US$ · 11/11/2026
Market estimates for guidance only, not a firm quote. Confirm the value with a broker/appraiser before any transaction.
Temporal identity
First flight
May 30, 1979
FAA cert.
Apr 30, 1982
ANAC cert.
—
Deliveries start
—
Units produced
202
Citation III/VI/VII, the first midsize Citation. Larger cabin, transcontinental range.
Detailed specs
Performance
- Engines
- 2x Garrett (Honeywell) TFE731-3B-100S (III/VI) or TFE731-4R-2S (VII)
- Max speed
- 472 kt
- Fuel
- 1,452.2 gal
- Rate of climb
- 4,090 ft/min
- Max operating Mach
- 0.85
- Landing distance
- 3,080 ft
- Thrust per engine
- 3,650 lbf
- Balanced field length (BFL)
- 5,140 ft
Cabin and comfort
- Lavatory
- Full aft lavatory with door
- Configuration
- Two zones with stand-up cabin, club + divan layout, 7 to 9 passengers
- Typical configuration
- Club 4 + 2 Aft Facing + Aft Lavatory
- Cabin noise
- 80 dB
- Cabin volume
- 11.95 m³
- Differential pressurization
- 9.3 psi
- Baggage capacity
- 73 cu ft
Avionics and engines
- Autopilot
- Honeywell SPZ-650 integrated
- Common retrofits
- Garmin GTN 750, Universal UNS-1, ADS-B Out, full Garmin G5000 retrofit available
Operating costs
- Data source
- https://planephd.com/wizard/details/641/CESSNA-Citation-III-650-specifications-performance-operating-cost-valuation · https://planephd.com/wizard/details/650/CESSNA-Citation-III-650-specifications-performance-operating-cost-valuation · https://www.libertyjet.com/jet-ownership-costs.aspx?jetType=CE-650 · https://aviacost.com/aircraftcostcalculator/cessna-citation-iii · https://www.globalair.com/aircraft-for-sale/specifications?specid=186
- Fuel burn
- 241 gal/h
- Last updated
- 2026
- Engine overhaul cost
- US$ 550,000
- Market price (low)
- US$ 700,000
- Engine overhaul interval
- 5,000 h
- Market price (high)
- US$ 2,500,000
External dimensions
- Overall length
- 16.9 m
- Wingspan
- 16.31 m
- Height
- 5.12 m
- Wing area
- 28.99 m²
Weights & fuel
- Operating empty weight (OEW)
- 5,500 kg
- Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW)
- 9,979 kg
- Maximum payload
- 726 kg
- Fuel capacity
- 5,497 L
- Fuel capacity
- 9,840 lb
Minimum runway
RBAC 135.385 · landing within 60% of the runwaysea level / ISA referenceHow much runway the Citation III needs to dispatch: the manual figure and what the charter (RBAC 135) rule requires.
Charter (RBAC 135), dry runway
1,567m
takeoff governs: longer than factored landing
Charter, wet runway
1,800m
× 1.15 · RBAC 135.385(d)
Takeoff or BFL, manual
1,567m
unfactored takeoff, manufacturer
Dispatches under charter rules at 146 of 465 Brazilian public runways when dry, and at 95 when wet.
Minimum runway
Where the Citation III dispatches under charter rules
Verdict per regime (private, charter dry and wet) across 465 Brazilian public runways, with the margin in meters.
Starter feature. Available on your Jet Tracker account.
Manufacturer-published distances at sea level, ISA and reference weight. Not corrected for altitude, temperature, wind or runway condition, takeoff included. Uses the declared LDA as a proxy for effective runway length (RBAC 135.361) and the most favourable threshold in calm air (135.385(b)(1)): on the day, wind may force the shorter threshold. Destination only: does not assess the alternate aerodrome (135.387). Not a substitute for the AFM or the operator's performance analysis. Rule: RBAC 135.385 and 135.398; private flying (RBAC 91) is not factored. Runways: declared distance (LDA) from AISWEB/DECEA (2026-09-05), checkable on each aerodrome chart; where DECEA publishes no declared distance, physical length from OurAirports is used.
Cabin
Standard configuration
1 zone7 typical passengers · 9 maxClub 42 aft-facingLavatory
Typical factory configuration (curated data). The drawing below is schematic and at approximate scale; the actual layout varies by interior and year.
Cabin to scale: cross-section and profile
✗ no stand-up heightfront cross-section · person = 1.75 m
Length
5.59 m
Width
1.68 m
Height
1.73 m
Volume
11.95 m³
Baggage
—
History
- 1979First flight
- 1982FAA certification
- 1983 - Cessna enters the midsize segment
Launched in 1983, the Citation III was the first Cessna jet with a stand-up cabin (1.73m), a supercritical wing and Mach 0.83 cruise, marking a technological leap over the 500/550 family.
- 1992 - Three variants on one airframe
The 650 family evolved as the Citation III (1983-1992), the VI (1991-1995, an economy version with simplified avionics) and the VII (1992-2000, with upgraded TFE731-4R engines and better hot-and-high performance).
- 1992End of production
Brazil Fleet
Lineage
Model with no documented lineage in the manufacturer's line.
Curiosities and highlights
Benefits
Comfortable cabin for long routes
A stand-up cabin 1.73m high and 5.66m long, split into two zones, offers comfort comparable to the Hawker 800 or Falcon 20, ideal for 3-4 hour missions with 6 to 8 passengers.
Limitations
Long runway for the category
Requires 5,140 ft of balanced field length (vs 3,500 ft for a Bravo or 4,000 ft for a Hawker 400XP), ruling out small airports such as SBMT, SBJD or SDCO in hot conditions.
High fuel burn of the TFE731s
Honeywell TFE731 engines burn about 220 GPH in cruise, versus 165 GPH for the Bravo's PW530As. Fuel accounts for about 40% of operating cost in practice.
Curiosities
Basis of the Citation X cabin
The Citation III's cabin cross-section was the basis for developing the Citation X (model 750), which, with a new wing, would become, according to Cessna, the fastest business jet in the world, at Mach 0.92 in the 1990s (0.935 in the updated version).
Catalogued accidents
Sources: NTSB, CENIPA, Aviation Safety Network
1/30/2013· BR· RESENDE
PT-OMULoss of control on the ground
Cessna Citation III for sale now
Listed aircraft with a page on Jet Tracker, from the lowest asking price up. Asking is not the closing price; portals and the reading date are on each page.
Registrations in Brazil
4 operational aircraft owned by companies in the ANAC registry (RAB). Each opens the profile with owner, operator, status and history.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Cessna Citation III cost?
The Cessna Citation III is out of production, so there is no factory price. On the used market the median is around US$ 975,000, varying with year and flight hours; see real listings on this model's Market tab. Reference value as of 06/2026.
What is the range of the Cessna Citation III?
The maximum range is 2000 nm (2,000 NM · 3,704 km).
How fast is the Cessna Citation III?
Cruise speed is 459 kt, equivalent to 850 km/h, or Mach 0.851.
How many passengers does the Cessna Citation III seat?
The Cessna Citation III seats up to 9 passengers, crew not included.
How many Cessna Citation III are there in Brazil?
There are 8 active units in the RAB-ANAC (data as of 11/11/2026): operational, mark reservation or suspended, excluding cancelled registrations.
Who operates the Cessna Citation III in Brazil?
7 distinct operators operate 7 units of the Cessna Citation III in the RAB-ANAC: 4 in air taxi (RBAC 135) and 3 in private operation (RBAC 91), concentrated in MA, AM and GO (data as of 11/11/2026). Another 1 unit is under registration reservation (tail number reserved, not yet operating). Name, fleet and state of each operator are on this model's Analytics tab and in the operators directory.
How much does it cost to operate the Cessna Citation III per hour?
Jet Tracker estimate: about US$ 5,659 per flight hour at 200 h/year, of which US$ 3,676 per hour is variable cost (fuel, engine program, maintenance reserves) plus US$ 396,613 per year of fixed cost (crew, hangar, insurance), under Jet Tracker's default assumptions (Southeast Brazil, in-house crew, 200 h/year). Run your own scenario on this model's Costs tab.