The Gulfstream G550 has achieved a new city-pair speed world record, connecting Shanghai with Seattle in 10 hours and 29 minutes.
The aircraft departed Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 2:09pm local time and arrived at Seattle’s King County International Airport-Boeing Field at 9:38am local time, completing the 5,123-nautical-mile (9,487km) flight at an average speed of Mach 0.85. The new achievement marks the 55th speed record achieved by the jet.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is showing off its fleet at this year’s EBACE event, which is taking place during May 21-23 at Geneva, including the super-midsize Gulfstream G280, G550, G500, G600 and G650ER for customer viewing.
Ahead of the event Gulfstream also announced that its G650 aircraft have been certified for steep approach by the FAA, enabling access to more airports worldwide. The family of aircraft consists of the G650 and the G650ER (Extended Range).
The certification allows access to airports such as London City, which requires the certification due to its short runway and stringent noise-abatement requirements. It also opens access to Lugano and similar airports located in the mountainous region of Switzerland. Lugano’s short runway, situated in the mouth of a valley, requires an extremely steep approach.
Mark Burns, president at Gulfstream said, “With the G650’s proven performance, our customers consistently arrive first to their destinations and now have even more flexibility. We are committed to providing options for traveling, unhindered, to the most remote destinations. Speed and range combined with steep-approach certification ensure customers save countless hours per year.”
