G700 Makes the Savannah to Tokyo Run in 13 Hours at Mach 0.89

As tradition dictates, Gulfstream readied itself to appear at another trade show with a fresh new speed record under its belt, this time taking a G700 from Savanna, Georgia to Tokyo, Japan at an average speed of Mach 0.89. 

The company's demonstrator made the sprint in 13 hours, also ticking off the G700's first trip to Japan. The record also put a cap on more than 2 million SAF-powered nautical miles flown by Gulfstream in its in-house flight programs. Gulfstream has continued to scoop up some records, as its G700 testbed added a city-pair record for Tokyo to Seoul, ROK; Seoul to Manila, Philippines; Manila to Singapore; and Bangkok to Amalty, Kazakhstan in the weeks leading up to the show. The firm unfortunately appears to stand alone in their pursuit of city-pair speed records, without much competition from its fellows in the bizjet game. Those invested in automotive tuning or development have long seen news of the constant game of tag played by manufacturers looking to one-up each other’s time around the Nurburgring, each model year shaving off scant seconds of a roughly 8-minute lap time. Perhaps the influx of cash and attention into business aviation will incite someone else to step up to challenge Gulfstream at their own game, making the recent Savannah to Tokyo trip in, say, 12.5 hours to the G700’s 13. 

But the speed game isn’t the only thing Gulfstream can brag about. Like most others, it has continued to shave off fuel burn and emissions as much as it can, being one of the earliest bizjet OEMs to start tackling SAF approval throughout its lineup. The firm became the first manufacturer to attain the NBAA's Sustainable Flight Department Accreditations in all 4 available categories: flight, operations, ground support and infrastructure. The company was quick to sign onto the WEF's "Clean Skies for Tomorrow 2030 Ambition Statement", which hopes to make SAF at least 10% of the global jet fuel supply.

“We are innovating for a sustainable future and have been a leader in SAF use over the past decade,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “Our latest city pair speed record further showcases the investments we are making in our next-generation fleet, as well as the commitment we’ve made to the industry to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 40% over a 15-year span, leading into 2034.”

FMI: www.gulfstream.com