Qatar among the first for new Gulfstream 500 introduced today

Qatar Executive – the business aviation arm of Qatar Airways – was named as one of the launch customers of the new Gulfstream G500/G600 family of business jets introduced in Savannah Georgia today.

Qatar Airways has signed an MoU to order up to 20 Gulfstream aircraft, including firm orders and options for the all-new, wide-cabin G500 and for the recently certificated the flagship G650ER.
Until today Qatar Executive had been an exclusive Bombardier operator.
“This agreement is evidence of the industry-leading performance of Gulfstream’s flagship aircraft, the G650ER, and of our commitment to deliver on the promises we have made for our new family of aircraft, which includes the G500,” said Larry Flynn, Gulfstream’s president.
Qatar’s group CEO, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Executive has been on an accelerated growth path since its inception and is held to an exceptional standard of quality that is widely known by our global clientele. In order to keep pace with the future strategic growth plans of our private jet division, the fleet is being expanded with aircraft that meet the needs of our guests, providing a wide range of options. Today's announcement of the Memorandum of Understanding for G650ERs and G500s signals a next step for Qatar Executive's relatively young and buoyant history."
The new G500 features am all-new design which optimises speed, wide-cabin comfort and efficiency, and features new safety technologies.
It can fly 5,000 nautical miles/9,260 kilometers at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nm/7,038 km at Mach 0.90. The aircraft will link Doha, Qatar, nonstop with London, Geneva and Paris at Mach 0.90 and is expected to enter service in 2018.
The first flight of the G500 is scheduled for 2015. Gulfstream projects it will receive type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency in 2017.
The G650ER –unveiled at EBACE earlier this year is an ultra-long-range aircraft, that can travel 7,500 nm/13,890 km at Mach 0.85 and 6,400 nm/11,853 km at Mach 0.90. It can fly nonstop from Doha to New York at Mach 0.90 and nonstop from Doha to Los Angeles at Mach 0.85. It recently received FAA certification.