Gulfstream has exhibited at each and every JetExpo, starting from the turn of the century. The U.S. manufacturer brought three jets to this, the ninth show in Vnukovo--a G650, a G450 and a G280. Trevor Esling, Gulfstream’s senior vice president for international sales, told AIN: “I’m sure we could have brought more if we’d had more airplanes available. We are here with the three aircraft because Russia is an important market for us. We wanted a big presence at this show.”
Russian entrepreneurs were among the early customers for the company’s newest flagship model. “That’s why we flew a G650 prototype to Moscow in January 2013, shortly after certification,” Esling said. “One of the very first airplanes we delivered went to a Russian client. There are several G650s operating in Russia already.” Response from Russian customers “is not different from other areas. We have enjoyed fantastic response from our customers in different parts of the world. The backlog for the G650 exceeds 200 airplanes,” he added.
The G450 “has been very successful in Russia,” said Esling. As for the smallest of the three, “We are beginning to sell G280s in Russia and CIS,” he said, though Esling agrees that smaller jets are more difficult to sell here. “The Russian market is a lot like the Chinese market because of the way both developed. Those who could afford it bought the largest airplanes they could.”
Even though the G280 generates less Russian interest, there is a reason to show it along with the bigger jets at JetExpo’2014, said Esling. “Like any other global manufacturer, we want to sell worldwide, not just in Russia. And there are visitors [at JetExpo] from other countries.” Cessna has managed to sell a number of Citation Xs to Russian customers, which Esling used as evidence that the market does exist for the G280.Commenting on the recent trend for expansion of local aircraft maintenance providers, Esling said that although it is “always possible” to have more MROs in Russia to do work on Gulfstream aircraft, the manufacturer’s strategy is to expand service through Jet Aviation in Moscow, a Gulfstream-authorized provider. “We’d rather not authorize warranty work to be done by somebody else.”
Because many European Union companies fly to Moscow, they need maintenance performed by EASA-authorized stations. There will always be a need for manufacturer’s support for Gulfstreams in Moscow, including smaller models “because there are many of those in Western Europe,” said Esling.
Wrapping up, Esling said: “It is always good to come to Vnukovo. A lot of our customers visit the show, so it is important for us to have a presence here. We want to continue to sell aircraft in Russia.”
