Written by Alison Lampert and David Shepherdson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Friday it has certified General Dynamics Corp.’s flagship Gulfstream G700 business aircraft, spurring new competition at the top end of the luxury jet market.
Gulfstream previously planned to receive certification for the large-cabin jet, which will compete with Canadian commercial aircraft maker Bombardier’s Global 7500, by the end of 2023 and planned to deliver 19 jets.
The certification process for new aircraft in the United States has come under increased scrutiny following two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in October 2018 and March 2019. Industry insiders expect this situation to continue after the door plug on Alaska Airlines’ MAX plane blew. During the flight on January 9th.
Gulfstream President Mark Burns said in 2019 that he believed the FAA would seek more information when certifying the G700 in the wake of the crash, but said he didn’t expect an unreasonable request.
Gulfstream said the G700’s takeoff and landing distances will be shorter than originally expected.
“We successfully completed the most rigorous certification program in the company’s history for the G700,” said Burns.
The company announced performance improvements in September, increasing the G700’s range to 7,750 nautical miles (14,353 km) at Mach 0.85 and increasing its maximum operating speed, making it the fastest Gulfstream jet.
Business jet makers expect customer demand for private planes to continue after the coronavirus pandemic boom, but global growth slows in 2024 and second-hand aircraft availability Increased availability could weigh on demand.
Boeing has been waiting years to certify its smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10, but in January the FAA withdrew its application for a key safety exception that would have allowed it to speed up approval of the MAX 7. , now facing new hurdles.
(Reporting by David Shepherdson and Alison Lampert; Additional reporting by Mike Stone; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot)
