Dubai, UAE, Nov. 16, 2008 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today at the 2008 Middle East Business Aviation show (MEBA) in Dubai that some 10 percent of orders for its new large cabin business jet, the Citation Columbus, have come from the Middle East.

Cessna launched the Columbus program earlier this year and holds more than 70 orders for the aircraft, priced at $27 million (2008 price). Wallan Aviation, Cessna’s authorized sales representative in the Middle East, has already resold its initial order of three Columbus aircraft and has placed a follow on order for three additional units.

The Citation Columbus is expected to gain full certification in 2013 and enter service in 2014. It is expected to be the only aircraft in its class capable of 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 kilometers) non-stop at Mach .80.

At the recent the National Business Aviation Association Meeting and Convention in Orlando, Florida, Cessna unveiled a revised full scale mock-up of the Citation Columbus concept, demonstrating progress to date on the program and two years of intensive research on customer preferences. Visitors to Cessna’s static display at MEBA 2008 are able to view the original Columbus mock-up.

Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2007, Cessna delivered 1,272 aircraft, including 387 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $5 billion. Cessna has a backlog of $15.6 billion as of September 30, 2008. Since the company was originally established in 1927, some 191,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 5,400 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at http://www.cessna.com.

Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is a $12.6 billion multi-industry company operating in 28 countries with approximately 42,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

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