SAVANNAH, Ga., September 10, 2012 — Gulfstream Aerospace has received a Type Certificate for the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 from the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The approval allows operators to register their business jet in South Africa.
“Gulfstream’s presence in Africa has grown dramatically, particularly in South Africa which accounts for 24 percent of the entire Gulfstream fleet in Africa,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream. “Having this certification is important to our growing customer base because it streamlines the registration process for our South African operators.”
In addition to South Africa, nearly 30 other countries and regions have certified the G550, including Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, India, Israel, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Monaco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Uganda. The aircraft has also received Type Certificate Validation from the European Aviation Safety Agency, which means it can be registered in any European Union country.
Gulfstream introduced the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 on Oct. 9, 2000. The aircraft received its type and production certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration on Aug. 14, 2003, making it the first time in Gulfstream history that both certificates were received on the same day.
The G550 features twin Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, each of which provides 15,385 pounds of thrust. It has a range of 6,750 nautical miles at a speed of Mach 0.80. The aircraft has established nearly 40 city-pair speed records.
In May 2004, the G550 development team received the 2003 Collier Trophy for the technological advances and safety enhancements featured in the design of the aircraft. The trophy is the most prestigious aviation award in North America.
The G550 fleet has accrued more than 650,000 flight hours and made more than 242,000 landings. The G550 offers non-stop connections from Cape Town to Hong Kong, or Johannesburg to Beijing or Caracas. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.85, it will fly Cape Town to London in 12 hours.
