Gulfstream to discontinue G150
Savannah-based Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. on Wednesday announced it has sold the last Gulfstream G150, marking the end of the aircraft's more than 10-year production run in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries in Tel Aviv.
The final G150 will be delivered to its owner in mid-2017.
The G150 was the company's most compact and least expensive business jet, carrying a modest $15.7 million price tag in 2016.
The decision to cease production of the mid-size G150 allows Gulfstream "to focus on the super mid-size and large-cabin markets," said company president Mark Burns.
"The G150 has had a distinguished history, spanning more than a decade. And it remains an important part of our business," Burns said. "Gulfstream will continue to provide industry-leading support to G150 owners and ensure there are enough parts, tooling, sustaining engineering and personnel available to support the worldwide G150 fleet."
The company's Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) will still use two G150 aircraft to transport parts and technicians to Gulfstream operators in the Americas and the Caribbean, he added.
The G150 entered service in August 2006 as a replacement for the G100. The new aircraft's performance immediately put it at the top of the mid-size class of business jets, with the longest range at the fastest speed in its class.
Today, nearly 120 G150s operate in the U.S., Canada, Central America, South America, Europe and Asia. The aircraft has a dispatch reliability rate of 99.83 percent and is certified in more than 45 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, Canada, China, England, Germany, Israel and Switzerland.
Ending production of the G150 doesn't mean Gulfstream has left the mid-size market altogether, Burns said.
"We have an excellent mid-cabin offering in the G280," he said. "Since it entered service in late 2012, we have delivered nearly 100 of those aircraft, demonstrating the appeal of incorporating large-cabin-type capabilities into a super mid-size aircraft."
The G280, with a price tag of $24.5 million, is now the only Gulfstream product manufactured in Israel. The remaining business jets - the G450, G500, G550, G600 and the G650/650ER - are manufactured in Savannah.
The company will continue to build the G280 in Israel through its partnership with IAI, Gulfstream spokeswoman Heidi Fedak said Wednesday, adding that interior outfitting and painting takes placeat Gulfstream's completions center in Dallas.
