Athens-based charter operator GainJet Aviation (Booth 700) added a Gulfstream G650 to its fleet of long-range aircraft in October, and since then has been setting city-pair speed records on the aircraft’s charter flights. The brand new jet, registered SX-GSB, was delivered fresh from the factory in Savannah, Georgia, making the 5,008-nm flight in eight hours, 26 minutes at a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90.

GainJet president Captain Ramsey Shaban, noting that the flight from Savannah to Athens required barely half the G650’s 14-hour endurance, said, “The acquisition of such a high performance and versatile aircraft is a major advantage for GainJet, especially when considering who our customers are and where in the world they wish to go.” The GainJet long-range fleet includes a Gulfstream G550 and G450, and Boeing BBJs.

Since acquiring the new G650, GainJet has been demonstrating its capabilities by establishing Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) city-pair records, setting three speed records in October in less than a week: The G650 flew from London Luton, U.K to Abu Dhabi, U.A.E, a distance of 3,401 miles (5,476 km) in 5 hours, 56 minutes; It next flew Abu Dhabi, U.A.E to Busan, South Korea, covering the 4,423-mile (7,119 km) flight in 7 hours, 56 minutes; Its third city pair speed record is for the Seoul, South Korea to Jakarta, Indonesia route, a 3,278-mile (5,276 km) journey completed in 6 hours, 13 minutes.

“Setting these FAI city-pair records is an outstanding achievement, and I believe this is only the beginning of records that the G650 will set,” said Shaban. “There certainly will be more to come.”

The G650 accommodates up to 16 passengers and offers the option to convert the plush seats into flat beds (four singles and one double). “Athens as a primary base for the aircraft is strategically located as a central point for our main target markets: Europe, the Middle East, and Africa,” said Shaban. “We’re sure it will be popular in all these markets. So we feel Athens is an ideal position, right in the center of it all.”