SAVANNAH, Ga., April 15, 2013 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced today at ABACE 2013 that the company’s Asia-Pacific fleet has more than tripled in the last six years, with the bulk of the growth coming from large-cabin aircraft. Since 2007, large-cabin aircraft in the region have increased from 50 to 169.
“Asia, particularly China, remains our leading export market,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “As investors and businesses look around the globe for opportunities, the need for long-range, rapid transportation increases. The capabilities of our aircraft easily allow Chinese operators to reach markets in North America, Europe, the Middle East and beyond.”
The company’s G450 and G550 recently marked fleet milestones that attest to the aircraft’s popularity. Less than 10 years after its entry-into-service, the 400th large-cabin, ultra-long range G550 entered service. Not to be outdone, the G450 fleet recently surpassed 200,000 flights, less than eight years after the first aircraft entered service.
In addition, the G550 maintained a dispatch reliability rate of 99.91 percent or greater for each month in the past year. A 99.91 percent dispatch rate means that, on average, the G550 fleet successfully launched 999 out of 1,000 flights within 30 minutes of the scheduled departure time. Dispatch reliability is measured to the published National Business Aviation Association standard.
“The entire organization works very hard to ensure all Gulfstream aircraft achieve the maximum dispatch rate possible to provide the optimal experience for our customers,” said Kevan Jackson, G550 program director, Gulfstream.
The large-cabin, long-range G450 entered service on May 7, 2005, and the fleet has flown more than 422,000 total flight hours. The aircraft has a range of 4,350 nautical miles (8,056 km) at its normal cruise speed of Mach 0.80. The G450 has an equally impressive dispatch reliability rate of 99.85 percent, and shares a common pilot type rating with the G550.
Gulfstream’s large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 entered service on Sept. 17, 2003. The fleet has accrued more than 730,000 flight hours and 270,000 landings. It has a range of 6,750 nautical miles (12,501 km) at a speed of Mach 0.80. 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.
Both the G450 and the G550 come equipped with the state-of-the-art PlaneView cockpit with Standard Enhanced Vision System (EVS II), Head-Up Display (HUD II) and optional Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD).
