Savannah-based business jet manufacturer Gulfstream has delivered two additional G700 aircraft to the expanding Qatar Executive fleet, bringing its total G700 units to six with a further four to come.

“The unprecedented speed with which the team has been able to deliver this remarkable aircraft is a true testament to the quality and maturity of the G700 programme,” explained Gulfstream resident Mark Burns, who described Qatar Executive as “a long-standing, valued partner of Gulfstream for many years”. Alongside its expanding G700 fleet, Qatar Executive also operates 15 Gulfstream G650ERs.

However, this latest December 2024 delivery still places Gulfstream behind its already revised total delivery projection for the full year, with Cirium data indicating 30 units to have been shipped since customer deliveries commenced in April. During parent company General Dynamics’ Q3 2024 earnings call, CEO Phebe Novakovic explained that delivery expectations had been revised from an earlier 50-52 to “around 42 for the year with 27 in the fourth quarter”.

Estimating this upcoming schedule to comprise of five in October, nine in October and 12 in December, Novakovic elaborated that Gulfstream had delivered just four units in Q3; 11 less than earlier anticipated. (Eleven of the 15 planned G700s were delivered in in Q2).

During the call, a number of reasons were cited for the revised projection: including aircraft engines arriving late to schedule (resulting in aircraft being painted before the engines arrived, requiring a “significant” amount of repaint). “Highly customised interiors” of units set for shipment during the third quarter also resulted in longer than anticipated STC finalisations. However, “third and maybe most important” was a “supplier quality escape on a specific component,” requiring 16 unspecified components to be changer per aircraft and necessitating increased numbers of test flights.

“Gulfstream is unable to comment on deliveries at this time, and updates will be shared in the next General Dynamics earnings call,” concluded a company spokesperson.