Textron Aviation recently introduced the new aircraft Citation Ascend with modified cabin interiors and avionics. At the Singapore Airshow 2026, from the deck of Textron Aviation chalet, Mr. Tony Jones, Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific, Textron Aviation in an exclusive interview with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World discussed about the importance and vision for the Indian market . Excerpts…

AW:India being one of your priority markets, what products you’re looking forward to introduce into the region?

TJ: India is a priority market and it’s been very busy for us in the last couple of years. We continue to build on the success we’ve had for many years in India. What is exciting for us in particular is that we recently delivered an XLS Gen 2 to a long-term customer in India and now we’re moving to the Citation Ascend, which was recently certified and this particular aircraft has high interest in the region.

The Citation Latitude is also an increasingly popular aircraft in the Indian market due to its range and cabin interiors. Its operating economics makes it a very smart choice for regional transportation in India. Recently, our corporate demonstrator Citation Latitude was on a demo tour in India and it was showcased to the operators who showed keen interest in this particular aircraft.

AW:How do you assess the increase in the potential customers with the rise in number of HNWIs?

TJ: We see a lot of growth in the market as there is lot of customers who are realizing the benefits of corporate aviation. Some of them have been chartering aircrafts for the last, particularly in a post-COVID environment. They understand what it means to them and the productivity benefits they get from charter. We’re talking to a number of customers across the region that is looking to make that first step into taking ownership of an aircraft and our Citation product range like the M2, CJ3 and CJ4, all of the Gen 2 Jets has a lot of interest among them. We have got a great support network in and around India as it’s a very logical choice and Citation is all about lowering your risk.

AW: How was the response in India during the demo flight?

TJ: We took the aircraft to India purely due to the high demand of people who wanted to see this aircraft. We have several customers who have seen the aircraft outside India and they really appreciated it. There are strong words and interest out that the Citation Latitude is such a good fit for the market and it was a logical step to get the aircraft and present it among the potential Indian customers.

AW: When the Indian DGCA certification expected for the Cessna Latitude?

TJ: For the Cessna Latitude, the DGCA certification is underway at the moment. The step was taken by the company based on the demand from the customers in anticipation for the deliveries.

AW: Can you share about the type of Textron Aviation aircraft operating in India?

TJ: Textron Aviation has got a vast range of products in the general & business aviation space. We have turboprops for regional connectivity and then Citation jets of different variants operating into India as well as aircraft used for training purpose. We have recently delivered an aircraft to an Indian customer and we are continuing to see a lot of interest in this country. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been spending so much time there and working closely with our customers.

AW: Which other region is key market for you?

TJ: It’s a really difficult question to answer and the reason is we’ve just got such a broad range of aircraft. In some regions, our planes used for the training sector will be very-very strong, whereas in some regions it will be for our jets and turboprops, depending on the nature fitting the right aircraft for the mission. Across the region, we’re seeing a lot of interest in the products and there’s a lot of strength in the market and there’s continued interest.

For us, we benefit from having probably most of the support network in the region as well. We have proven products, great owners and operators and maintenance companies who understand our product. We continue to invest in the aircraft that we’re manufacturing and also in its incremental improvements.

AW: How you are addressing the backlog issues?

TJ: We don’t go into specifics around delivery but across the industry. Yes, there is a high demand and there are longer lead times than we’ve probably experienced in more recent years. I don’t think that’s something going to go away and we encourage our customers to plan the replacement of their aircraft accordingly.

They have to look at the long-term needs of the business and work with companies like Textron Aviation to plan out how they are going to replace their existing aircraft; when they need to be replaced and how they are going to dispose their current aircraft. I think long lead times is going to be here for a while and the most important message we get to our customers is to talk to them about making a company that can provide all the solutions.

AW: How do you see the Any concluding remarks for your Indian customers from the Textron family?

TJ: We have announced bringing the upgraded products of the M2 Gen 3, the CJ3 Gen 3 and the CJ4 Gen 3 aircraft to the market. One of the most significant features that we’ve incorporated in these aircraft is apart from an incremental improvement across the platform, they all will be fitted with Garmin Emergency Auto Land. That is something our customers really appreciated and it’s generating a lot of interest among them. On the CJ4 Gen 3, we’ve also moved across to the full Garmin 3000 avionics as well.

I’m a huge believer and a great supporter of the Indian market and we’re looking forward to working with our channel partner Jubilant Enpro as we grow and develop our products.