FLYING Magazine
This week, Gulfstream Aerospace’s ultra-long-range G800 completed the fastest, farthest flight ever by a business jet, according to the manufacturer.
Gulfstream announced the milestone in a news release Wednesday that also highlighted the company’s 800th city pair speed record, also achieved—fittingly—by the G800.
“Reaching our 800th city pair speed record and completing the farthest fastest flight in our industry’s history demonstrates the strength of our next-generation fleet and the advanced capabilities of the G800,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream, in a statement.
The manufacturer said the G800 on Sunday flew 8,303 nm from Melbourne, Australia, to Moline, Illinois, a smidge farther than the model’s listed range of 8,300 nm. It flew at an average speed of Mach 0.85—the jet’s long-range cruise speed, designed to open trips as far as New York to Hong Kong.
The G800 can also cover 7,000 nm at Mach 0.90 in high-speed cruise mode, or 8,000 nm at Mach 0.87. Its top speed of Mach 0.935 was raised from Mach 0.925 during development.
The G650 previously held the record for the fastest, farthest business jet flight, traveling 8,379 nm from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona, in 15 hours and 23 minutes in 2019.
Gulfstream said the G800 achieved the firm’s 800th city pair speed record earlier in June, during an approximately 3,000 nm flight from Reykjavik, Iceland, to its headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. The manufacturer said it covered that distance in just 5 hours and 52 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.91.
Per Wednesday’s news release, the Gulfstream fleet has now set 815 speed records, meaning it added 15 more since the Reykjavik-to-Savannah flight. The G700 set the company’s 700th such record in April 2025. Gulfstream said the G800 has already achieved 15 of them following the model’s certification in April 2025 and inaugural delivery to Pfizer in August.
“The speed of the airplane is legit,” Burns told FLYING in 2025. “We believe it speaks for itself, and we believe that when we’re out competing every day, we can prove the difference.”
The G650 and G650ERE combined have more than 130 speed records. The G700 had 50 prior to certification—Gulfstream announced the model’s hundredth in June alongside its hundredth customer delivery.
For comparison, Bombardier’s Global 7500 set its 150th speed record in October after being certified in 2018. The Global 8000, a direct competitor to the G800 that was certified by the FAA in December, set its first speed record in June on an approximately 6-hour flight from Canada to France.
It is unclear if the two records Gulfstream announced this week have been validated.
Art Greenfield, senior vice president of contests and records for the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), told FLYING last year that in order to achieve a speed record, the aircraft must show at least a one percent improvement in performance. To verify this, an FAA dispatcher will analyze timestamps that are collected when weight is placed on or taken off of the aircraft’s wheels. Those are then used to calculate average speed.
If the records are deemed legitimate, they would represent quite the sales pitch for Gulfstream.
The G800 rivals the Global 8000 and will soon compete with Dassault’s Falcon 10X, which made its first flight in June. The manufacturers have engaged in one-upsmanship on performance and comfort as they seek to differentiate themselves.
The G800 features the same wing design as the G700 and is powered by twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines. Like the Global 8000 and Falcon 10X, it can accommodate up to 19 passengers. But it gains an edge with a best-in-class cabin altitude of 2,840 feet when flying at 41,000 feet.
The cabin is configurable for up to four living areas or three living areas plus a crew quarters. Amenities include an air purification system and 16 panoramic oval windows.
The pilot-friendly cockpit incorporates Gulfstream’s Symmetry flight deck, with active control sidesticks, touchscreen avionics, and enhanced vision system.