Story ID: 421
Gulfstream G700 Popular in the Middle East
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: 20% of the in-service fleet call the region home
Word Count: 444
The Gulfstream G700 has made huge inroads into the Middle Eastern market since the ultra-long-range twinjet entered service with launch customer Qatar Executive 18 months ago. In fact, 14 G700s—20% of the in-service fleet—are now based in the Middle East, according to Gulfstream Aerospace.
One of the aircraft’s major advantages is what the company said is the “most spacious cabin” in the industry. The G700 can be configured into up to five living zones, including options for a large galley in the forward section and a master bedroom suite with a bathroom and shower in the aft zone.
“This gives customers a lot of versatility when it comes to fully utilizing and configuring the cabin to meet their individual needs,” a Gulfstream spokeswoman told AIN. “Mixing all the possible seating configurations—with four different galley configurations, seven different crew area configurations, and eight different aft lavatory configurations—offers customers endless ways to design their cabin. Customers are taking advantage of all five zones in ways that best suit their personal preferences.”
Meanwhile, she said the G700 has been exceeding performance expectations since it entered service. “It is absolutely a differentiator for Gulfstream and for the entire business aviation industry, and it has been the smoothest transition into customer delivery that we have ever experienced. Currently, there are 72 G700s in service with more than 25,000 fleet hours and more than 8,600 landings.”
To attest to its performance, the G700 has set 80 city-pair speed records since entering service. Notably, the type captured Gulfstream’s 700th overall speed record earlier this year, flying the 7,740 nm from Taipei to Miami in 14 hours 38 minutes at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.87. “We often say we can’t fly this aircraft without creating a city-pair speed record,” she noted. “These records are a public way for us to show what city-pairs can be connected from takeoff to touchdown. We fly just as our customers could on any given day to help them understand what is possible.”
“Customers are continuously telling us how much they love the performance this aircraft delivers,” the spokeswoman said, adding that one customer called the G700 “nothing less than amazing.” In fact, she noted, many customers like their G700s so much that they “are already placing orders for their next one.”
The G700 features the “Gulfstream cabin experience” with 100% fresh air, natural light from 20 Gulfstream panoramic oval windows, and the industry’s lowest cabin altitude (2,840 feet at FL410). It also boasts an Mmo of Mach 0.935 and a maximum range of 7,750 nm at Mach 0.85 and 6,650 nm at a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90.