Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently delivered
a fourth Gulfstream G650ER to Qatar Airways for its Qatar Executive commercial
charter service, making Qatar Executive the largest single owner-operator of
G650ER aircraft in the world.
Gulfstream established a partnership with
Qatar Airways when the carrier became the international launch customer for the
Gulfstream G500 in 2014. Since that time, Qatar Airways established an agreement
for up to 30 Gulfstream aircraft, a combination of firm orders and options that
includes the flagship G650ER, the G500 and its sister ship, the Gulfstream G600.
“Gulfstream delivered the first G650ER for air
charter operations in the Middle East to Qatar Executive in 2015,” said
Mark Burns,
president, Gulfstream. “At that time, Qatar was interested in introducing a new
and enhanced level of service to its customers and determined that Gulfstream
aircraft were the ideal choice to do so. We are proud to continue that
relationship with this milestone and value the confidence Qatar Airways has in
Gulfstream and our employees who design, manufacture, service and support these
aircraft.”
|
Gulfstream G650ER |
“The demand from our customers for longer
range private air travel continues to grow,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief
Executive, H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker.
“Taking delivery of our fourth Gulfstream G650ER executive jet, making Qatar
Executive the largest single owner and operator of G650ER luxury private jets in
the world, means we can continue to meet this demand.”
Qatar Executive’s G650ER service can connect
Doha nonstop to Cape Town or Tokyo or New York to Doha. The G650ER has a range
of 7,500 nautical miles/13,890 kilometers at Mach 0.85 and a top operating speed
of Mach 0.925.
In the cabin, the G650ER features an
award-winning interior design, 100 percent fresh air, the lowest cabin altitude
in the industry and 16 large Gulfstream panoramic windows. Passengers can stay
connected with internet, phone and onboard printing capabilities.
G500 entering final series of certification tests
In further news, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s
all-new family of business jets, the Gulfstream G500 and G600, continue to make
solid progress toward anticipated U.S. FAA type certification this year.
The G500 is entering the final stage of its
flight test and certification program, while the G600 recently completed company
field performance testing.
“Both programs remain on track and are
methodically moving toward their respective type certifications,” said
Mark Burns.
“The five aircraft in each program continue to exceed our expectations. Given
the recent announcement about our range increases, this is pretty remarkable,
even for Gulfstream.”
|
Gulfstream G500 |
To date, the five G500 aircraft have
accumulated more than 4,250 flight hours over more than 1,175 flights. The
fourth G500 to enter the flight-test program is poised to begin function and
reliability testing, which marks the capstone of a flight-test program and
serves to demonstrate the overall reliability of the aircraft’s final
engineering designs. These FAA-mandated flights total 300 hours and are used to
evaluate how the aircraft behaves in conditions representative of normal
in-flight operations, including hot, cold and humid environments.
Gulfstream has gone beyond what the FAA
requires for certification by flying a fully outfitted production G500 more than
400 hours. The aircraft is currently on a world tour to demonstrate its
cutting-edge design to customers and potential customers.
The G600, meanwhile, has amassed more than
1,395 flight hours during more than 360 flights. Next on the aircraft’s schedule
is FAA certification testing for flyover noise.
Gulfstream announced performance enhancements
for the G500 and G600 in October 2017. The G500 can fly 5,200 nautical
miles/9,630 kilometers at Mach 0.85 or 4,400 nm/8,149 km at Mach 0.90, while the
G600 can travel 6,500 nm/12,038 km at Mach 0.85 and 5,100 nm/9,445 km at Mach
0.90. The maximum operating speed for both aircraft is Mach 0.925.
Even with these performance enhancements, the
G500 customer delivery schedule remains the same, with deliveries set for 2018,
as originally promised. G500 certification includes additional testing required
for the enhanced performance and is anticipated in early 2018.
The G600’s anticipated certification and
service entry are slated for 2018.
|