Gulfstream grows Russian business jet fleet

Gulfstream G550 flying

More than a quarter of Gulfstream’s European business jet fleet is now based in Russia.

A Gulfstream G550 business jet in flight.

Gulfstream has grown its fleet of aircraft in Russia from eight in 2007 to 53 today, according to an announcement at JetExpo 2013.

The manufacturer also announced that the number of customer-operated aircraft in the wider Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had increased from 11 to 76.

“The Gulfstream brand is very strong in Russia,” said Larry Flynn, president of Gulfstream. “We sold our first aircraft to a Russian customer in 2002 and have experienced remarkable growth since then. We have the biggest market share in the large-cabin segment, but we’ve also had success with sales of our mid-cabin models. The recent opening of our sales and design center in London is a direct result of strong customer response in Russia and other parts of Europe.”

More than a quarter of Gulfstream’s European fleet is in Russia. Surrounding countries, including CIS members Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, also are home to multiple Gulfstream operators. To support the growing fleet in Russia and the CIS, Gulfstream has more than $120 million in parts and materials inventory at three European locations: London Luton, Madrid, Basel and Switzerland.

The Gulfstream facility at Luton is a popular service centre for Russian and CIS-based aircraft owners and operators.