During a ceremony at Gulfstream's headquarters in Savannah, Ga., on Friday, Qatar Airways group CEO Akbar Al Baker took delivery of the airline’s first Gulfstream, a G650ER that is part of an order for up to 30 G650ERs, G500s and G600s. Qatar Airways’ charter, management, FBO and maintenance division, Qatar Executive, will operate the new Gulfstreams, joining a fleet that includes the Bombardier Challenger 605, Global 5000 and XRS and Airbus A319.
Deliveries of the G500s are scheduled to begin in 2018, and all of the Qatar Airways order, which includes firm purchases and options, will be delivered within the next five years, according to Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “I think this will help us sell a lot of airplanes in the Middle East,” he said. “Putting these airplanes in the Middle East in commercial operation gives us a good footprint [there]. This is a very important day for us.”
Immediately following the delivery, the new jet was flown directly from Savannah to Doha by Qatar Airways vice president of flight operations Nadhim Nielsen and Capt. Eleni Veliu, chief pilot for training. Qatar Executive will operate this airplane as a G650 until the -ER receives EASA certification next year.
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