Prestige Jet signs letter of intent for five all-new Gulfstream G650 aircraft

Prestige Jet and Gulfstream signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva (May 20-22).

It is the first and largest order in Middle East for the largest, most technologically advanced aircraft in the Gulfstream fleet. The five aircraft will significantly enhance Prestige Jet's customer offering.

Faris Deeb, Prestige Jet's Managing Director said that the Gulfstream G650, with its ultra-large cabin and ultra-long range, adds a new dimension to the company's portfolio and reinforces its plan to offer VIP aircraft to meet virtually all passenger needs.

"This is very exciting announcement for Prestige Jet as it demonstrates our unyielding commitment to building one of the foremost private air charter companies in the region, comprising a young fleet with some of the most advanced aircraft available in the world," he said.

"The G650 is a one-of-a-kind, high-tech, state-of-the-art airborne office that features an unmatched combination of characteristics: the largest and quietest cabin, the longest range and fastest speed and the most technologically advanced aircraft systems. It will allow us to carry between 15-18 passengers, non-stop to destinations such North America or Australia," adds Deeb. "No other Middle East private charter company can offer such a product and service."

The G650 will play a strategically important role in Prestige Jet's growth plans, filling the niche above other ultra-long-range business jets, such as the G550 and Global Express XRS, and below airliner derivatives such as the Airbus ACJ and Boeing BBJ.

The G650 is capable of traveling 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach or 5,000 nautical miles at 0.90 Mach. And, using an advanced aerodynamic design, it has a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, allowing it to avoid airline-traffic congestion and adverse weather.

"The cabin is well equipped to accommodate every 'middle east' requirement," says Deeb. "In fact capacious is the most appropriate way to describe it. The aisle is wider, the chairs are larger and with any one of a dozen cabin configurations to choose from. We can give passengers 4.3 feet more cabin length and greater leg space."

Under the terms of the LOI Prestige Jet will receive the first G650 in 2012, subject to Gulfstream's aircraft development schedule.

The first flight of the aircraft is scheduled for the second half of 2009 and this will be followed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certification and validation by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) in 2011