Last September 1, 2021, Gulfstream Aerospace’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Scott Neal, revealed to reporters at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport in France that the company’s G700 business jet had just set two transatlantic speed records between three cities. The first record is flying from Savannah, Georgia to Doha, Qatar non-stop for 13 hours and 16 minutes at a speed of 1,086 km/hr, or Mach 0.88. The other one was a non-stop flight from Doha to Paris in 6 hours and 15 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90. These impressive speed records are incredible in the aviation industry since Gulfstream’s G700 is considered to be the largest business jet in the world. It is powered by two Rolls Royce Pearl 700 engines and capable of flying up to 7,500 nautical miles.
The G700 was first unveiled on October 21, 2019. Its first transatlantic flight took place on August 27, 2021, which was the flight from Savannah, Georgia to Doha, Qatar. The flight was Gulfstream’s way of showing that the jet lives up to the hype it attracted when it was first revealed. Visiting the capital of Qatar is also not a coincidence as Qatar Executive, the private business jet subsidiary of Qatar Airways, will be the first to operate G700 jets. The first G700 aircraft will be delivered in 2022 in Doha, with the jet priced at USD $78 million. Fresh from arrival in Qatar, the G700 was exhibited and presented to Qatar executives and the international press. Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker stated that Qatar Executive has grown exponentially during the Covid19 pandemic and that their company’s booking inquiries grew by over 100% throughout the year.
The second transatlantic flight, which took place on August 31, 2021, from Doha to Paris, was also a way to showcase the aircraft in France, where Dassault, Gulfstream’s Paris-based rival, recently announced the production of their very own ultra-long-range business jet, the Falcon 10x. The G700, Falcon 10x, and Bombardier’s Global 7500 will be competing for being the largest, fastest, farthest, and most expensive private business jets in the world.
Here is more information about the G700: Its cabin is currently the biggest in business aviation, and under the right conditions, it can fly from locations such as London to Chile non-stop as well as Dallas to Hong Kong, which is an impressive feat in modern business jet aviation. The G700 is designed for utmost luxury in the skies. Its length is 57 feet and 8 feet wide, providing ample seating and a “grand suite” at the back of the aircraft that serves as a bedroom. It can carry up to 13 passengers and can sleep a total of 8 people. In terms of its interiors, it is as luxurious as it can get. The aircraft has four customizable living areas, an extra-large galley, 20 oval windows with 10 on each side for plenty of natural lighting, and circadian lighting to reduce overall jet lag.
Article photos from Gulfstream
