African tour adds speed records for Gulfstream's G280

The super mid-size jet started its six-record run on Feb 19 in Dubai, flying 3,202 nautical miles/5,930 kilometers from Dubai International Airport to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, at an average speed of Mach 0.80 for a total flight time of 7 hours and 9 minutes.
Within days of linking Dubai and Abuja, the aircraft set another city-pair record, flying 1,567 nm/2,902 km from Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola, to Cape Town International Airport in South Africa for a total flight time of 3 hours and 31 minutes. The G280’s average speed from Luanda to Cape Town was Mach 0.84 The G280 continued to cross Africa and demonstrate its abilities on the continent with another string of city-pair records. On Feb. 28, the aircraft flew from Lanseria International Airport near Johannesburg, South Africa, to Luanda at a speed of Mach 0.84, flying 1,391 nm/2,576 km in 3 hours and 8 minutes.
The next day, the G280 departed Luanda and flew to Portugal’s Lisbon Portela Airport — a distance of 3,247 nm/6,013 km — in 7 hours and 34 minutes. The G280’s average speed between Luanda and Lisbon was Mach 0.80. After a brief stop, the G280 began the trip back to its home base in Savannah. The aircraft departed Lisbon for Lajes, Azores, travelling at Mach 0.84 for 852 nm/1,578 km in 2 hours and 6 minutes. The aircraft then linked Lajes with Savannah on March 2 at a speed of Mach 0.80 to make the 2,752-nautical-mile/5,097-kilometer trip in 6 hours and 48 minutes.
“The G280 continues to prove its outstanding capabilities,” said Scott Neal, Gulfstream’s senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing. “These latest city-pair records show how vital the G280 can be to business in the Middle East and Africa and also how easily it can link Sub-Saharan Africa with the European hub of Lisbon. These records illustrate once again that the G280 dominates the super mid-size class.”
Pending approval by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association, these records will be sent to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for recognition as world records.
Originally projected to fly 3,400 nm/6,297 km, the G280 exceeded expectations by 200 nm/370 km, resulting in more city-pair connections, best-in-class fuel efficiency and lower operating costs for customers. The aircraft has tremendous performance capabilities and the most comfortable cabin in its class with the Gulfstream-designed cabin management and high-definition entertainment systems, industry-leading cabin sound levels, 19 super-sized windows and access to the baggage compartment from the cabin.