Textron Aviation’s new Cessna Citation Longitude has entered service following first deliveries of the super-midsize jet, the Wichita-based airframer announced today. The clean-sheet twinjet, the largest of the Citation lineup, received its FAA type certification on September 21.

“The newly certified Citation Longitude brings unrivaled technology to the business travel market, for both the passenger and the pilot, offering our customers the most efficient and productive super-midsize jet now in operation,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper. “We are thrilled to now transition this program into service.”

Textron Aviation did not disclose the recipients of the first Longitudes. Fractional provider NetJets is among the type’s biggest customers, having agreed to purchase up to 175 Longitudes, including an option to take first deliveries in the second half of this year. In a September 23 note to investors, Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst Ron Epstein forecast two Longitude deliveries in the third quarter that could possibly slip into the fourth quarter.

Powered by two 7,665-pound-thrust Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan engines, the $26.9 million Longitude has a 3,500-nm range and a maximum cruise speed of 483 knots. It seats up to 12 passengers in its six-foot-high, flat-floor cabin and has a 39,500-pound mtow.