Citation XLS+ refurbishment: make it yours

Buying an aircraft makes it yours. Personalising it makes it feel that way. Following the purchase of this Cessna Citation XLS+, the customer wanted the exterior and interior to reflect their own preferences. essential.aero accompanied the refurbishment, with a new paint scheme and a cabin designed around that brief.

The scope covered both soft furnishings and hard interior surfaces. Seat upholstery, stitching, headrests and interior finishes were considered together, creating a consistent look throughout the aircraft.

The starting point: too ordinary for this owner.

The starting point was a simple, understated design. For the customer, it was too ordinary. The brief: a new, abstract paint scheme and an interior with a personal identity, from the finishes and seat stitching to the customer’s logo on the headrests.

A new look starts beneath the paint.

The new exterior would change the aircraft’s appearance completely. An abstract, contrasting black-and-white scheme replaced the earlier, finer lines, carrying the customer’s chosen look across the fuselage and tail.

Preparation came first. The workshop photographs show removed engine cowlings being prepared for paint and the aircraft during structural work ahead of painting. These stages sit behind the finished appearance, even though they are no longer visible once the aircraft is complete.

Your signature. In every stitch.

Inside, the brief reached beyond new seat coverings. Soft furnishings and hard surfaces were reworked to the customer’s wishes, bringing the seating, side consoles and surrounding finishes into the same design. The workshop images show the hands-on work involved in finishing the interior components.

Personalisation continued at the headrests. The customer’s logo was sized and positioned using templates before embroidery. Together with the geometric stitching on the seats, it gives the finished interior a distinctive identity.

After: recognisably a Citation. Unmistakably personal.

The finished photographs bring those choices together: a bold black-and-white exterior, light seats with geometric stitching, embroidered headrests and dark interior surfaces. The change is visible at first glance and in the details you notice once seated.

This Citation XLS+ project shows how a purchased aircraft can be adapted to its new owner. Paintwork and interior were part of the same brief, with individual details giving the result its character.

Found the right aircraft? Make the details yours.

If an aircraft suits your travel needs, its current interior does not have to be the final choice. Our aircraft acquisition support can help you consider the potential for personalisation during the search. Our aircraft management team can then discuss the refurbishment scope and how to coordinate the work on your behalf.