Gulfstream G500, G600 Get EASA Steep-approach Nods

Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 aircraft have both received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) steep-approach certification, enabling the twinjets and their approved crews to access an extended range of airports.

The additional approvals, announced today, follow equivalent regulatory permissions already in place in the U.S. The G500 received an FAA nod for steep approaches in October 2023, with the regulator awarding similar approval for its larger G600 sibling in May 2024.

Both EASA and FAA permissions build on G500 and G600 steep-approach landing demonstrations conducted in 2021 at the UK’s London City Airport and Switzerland’s Lugano and Sion Airports. At the time, Gulfstream said it expected steep approach approval from both authorities in 2022.

The International Civil Aviation Organization defines a steep approach as one with an angle of 3.5 degrees or more. The FAA sets its benchmark as more than 4.5 degrees, believing that approach angles of less than 4.5 degrees don’t present a significant amount of increased risk.