✈️ Citation M2 Departures and Arrivals in France Surge 59%, SD Aviation Doubles Down on Fractional Ownership Expansion
Avi-Go data shows that the Citation M2 recorded 3,514 business aviation movements in France in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 59.3% compared to 2,206 movements in 2024, representing a net gain of over 1,300 movements. Over the same period, the Citation CJ3 posted only a marginal increase of 0.9%, with the gap between the two types widening from approximately 310 movements in 2024 to 1,600 movements in 2025 — the M2's movement count now stands at nearly 1.84 times that of the CJ3. This strong market performance has translated directly into a procurement signal: according to AIN, French charter and fractional ownership operator SD Aviation placed an order on April 23, 2026 at Aero Friedrichshafen 2026 for 2 Citation M2 Gen3 aircraft and 1 CJ3 Gen2, designated specifically for the expansion of its fractional ownership (FRAX) program. At the same event, Textron Aviation announced that German operator Luminair placed a follow-on order for 10 Citation Latitude aircraft, signaling that Textron is making a broad push across the light-to-super-midsize segment in Europe.
Impact: For European fractional ownership operators, the high-frequency operational data for the M2 in France directly reinforces residual value expectations and market liquidity for the type, which will further incentivize peer operators to follow with their own acquisitions. For competing types, the diverging trajectories of the M2 and CJ3 within the same market indicate that customer preferences in the light jet segment are consolidating around aircraft with lower operating costs.
Recommendation: FBOs and ground service providers should assess M2 handling capacity at major French hub airports — such as Paris Le Bourget and Nice — ahead of Q3 2026, and secure ramp slots and maintenance resources in advance. Fractional ownership platforms can leverage current M2 high-utilization data to strengthen the value-for-money narrative around light jet products for prospective members in H2 2026, accelerating membership conversion.