SAVANNAH, Ga. — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. has seen its Russiabased business-jet fleet grow more than sixfold in the last six years.
Recently, the first day of the three-day Jet Expo 2013 event in Moscow, Gulfstream announced there are 53 customer-operated aircraft in Russia and a combined 76 in Russia and the wider Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In 2007, those numbers were eight and 11, respectively.
“The Gulfstream brand is very strong in Russia,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “We sold our first aircraft to a Russian customer in 2002 and have experienced remarkable growth since then. We have the biggest market share in the large-cabin segment, but we’ve also had success with sales of our mid-cabin models. The recent opening of our sales and design center in London is a direct result of strong customer response in Russia and other parts of Europe.”
More than a quarter of Gulfstream’s European fleet is in Russia. Surrounding countries, including CIS members Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, also are home to multiple Gulfstream operators.
To support the growing fleet in Russia and the CIS, Gulfstream has more than $120 million in parts and materials inventory at three European locations — Luton, England; Madrid; and Basel, Switzerland.
The Gulfstream Luton facility, which has nearly 190 employees, is a major resource for Russian and many Eastern European operators. Earlier this year, the site earned certification to work on Gulfstream aircraft registered in Azerbaijan. Gulfstream Luton has maintenance approvals from several other civil aviation authorities, including the United States and European Union. Its technicians also support Russia and CIS operators by traveling to their aircraft’s location.
Additionally, Gulfstream has rapid-response Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) maintenance technicians in Ukraine, France, Greece and Switzerland, who are dispatched by airplane, train, van and automobile to reach customers in the field.
Gulfstream Product Support has personnel and authorized facilities in Moscow to assist Russiabased operators. Bruce Fleming serves as a Gulfstream field representative, and Jet Aviation at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport is a Gulfstream-authorized facility that supports the Gulfstream mid-cabin, GIV/GV series and GII/GIII aircraft with line and light maintenance.
