G800 sets farthest fastest flight in business aviation history

The Gulfstream G800 reached two major milestones in June. The jet completed the Gulfstream fleet's 800th city pair speed record and then completed the farthest fastest flight in business aviation history. In early June, it reached the 800th speed record in a flight from Reykjavik, Iceland, to Savannah, Georgia. The jet traveled at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.91 for 2,973 nautical miles in 5 hours and 52 minutes. More interestingly, the aircraft completed a separate flight on June 28 from the Tullamarine Airport (YMML) in Melbourne, Australia to the Quad Cities International Airport (MLI) in Moline, Illinois where it flew 8,303 nm in 16 hours and 56 minutes at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.85. What 8,300 nautical miles actually proves The G800 is an ultra-long range jet (ULR), like its sibling the G700. While often compared in terms of cabin, price and availability, it is also important to look at its range. The G700 has a listed maximum range of 7,750 nm. This places its range lower than the G800's listed range of 8,000 nm and much less than its new record range. The G800's published range is 8,000 nm, but flights are known to exceed the range published by OEMs when all factors like wind, altitude and payload are favorable. This record demonstrates an operational range that almost no competitor can match (don't be surprised to see the Bombardier Global 8000 make a run at the record). For operators with long routes that need aircraft to match, the longer range carries weight. This will lead those operators to treat the G800 as the benchmark against which everything else is compared. Market impact The G800 does not directly impact asking prices for ULR jets, especially in the used market. Inventory is constrained and demand for large cabin Gulfstream jets has remained structural. Instead, every public range demonstration places a benchmark against older ULR models like the G700 and the G650 that buyers will compare to. While the record gets the headlines (as it should), the used ULR inventory should remain resilient. For buyers whose needs don't include 8,000-mile routes, cabin, amenities, economics, and availability still matter most. But for direct OEM sales, the Melbourne-to-Moline flight does something to alter the equation: it places the G800 at the top of its class. Bragging rights belong to Gulfstream until further notice.