After a 14-year production run, Gulfstream Aerospace has completed the 250th and final G200 super mid-size business jet.
Capping off an era for the business jet manufacturer, the final G200 has just rolled off the production line in Dallas. It will be replaced in the Gulfstream fleet by the all-new large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G280, which is scheduled to enter service in early 2012.
The G200 was the first super mid-size business jet to enter the marketplace when it was first rolled out in 1997 and certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1998. Seven years ago yesterday, Gulfstream delivered the 100th G200.
Originally introduced as the “Galaxy” by Galaxy Aerospace (which was acquired by Gulfstream in 2001), the G200 was manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries in Tel Aviv and then flown to Gulfstream’s Mid-Cabin Completions Center in Dallas for interior outfitting and paint.
To date, the G200 has been certified in 18 countries and has a dispatch reliability rate in excess of 99 per cent. The fleet has flown more than 581,000 flight hours and completed more than 351,000 take-offs and landings.
“The G200 took the basic cabin dimensions of a large-cabin aircraft and made them available to a broader market by offering a shortened eight- to 10-place, two-seating-area layout,” Stan Dixon, vice president, Mid-Cabin Programs, Gulfstream, said. “It led the category for its time, as will the G280 going into the future.”
The last G200 is scheduled for customer delivery later this month. While G200 production has ended, Gulfstream’s product support organisation will ensure adequate parts, tooling, sustaining engineering and people are available to continue providing product support for the global G200 fleet.
(Gulfstream Aerospace)
