Qatar Executive, the executive division of Qatar Airways Group, has taken delivery this week of its eighth Gulfstream G650ER. The aircraft, which departed for Doha from Savannah, Georgia, made its delivery flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). With this aircraft, Qatar Executive consolidates its position as the largest owner of the type in the world.
Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said ” we are proud to be the first global business jet operator to make a delivery flight using sustainable aviation fuel. This reaffirms our leadership and commitment to the industry, and our plan to promote the use of SAF on a commercial scale.” Mark Burns, President of Gulfstream, added, “We are excited to deliver another G650ER to Qatar Executive. And we are even more pleased to do so by also demonstrating our commitment to sustainability.”
The G650ER has a range of 7,500 nautical miles operating at Mach 0.85. It can operate, for example, from Doha to New York in approximately 13 hours, and from Doha to Seoul in just over eight hours. The airline currently operates eight units of the type and expects to take delivery of four more before the end of the year.
Furthermore, the airline will be a launch customer for the Gulfstream G700, the longer, higher-capacity version of the family. The world’s first G700 was unveiled in September in Doha. Qatar Executive has ordered 10 units and should take delivery of the first in 2022. Qatar Executive’s current fleet consists of fourteen units: in addition to the eight G650s mentioned above, the airline is also operating three Bombardier Global 5000s, one Bombardier Global XRS, one Airbus A319ACJ, and one Airbus A319 Air Ambulance.
