Everything To Know About The Gulfstream G700, One Of The Fastest Private Jets Today

Private jets are one of the poshest ways to travel, and most people will already consider you one step ahead of everyone else if you regularly fly on a private plane. But did you know that not all private jets are made equal? While getting one of the cheapest new private jets will offer you the convenience of flying anytime you like (provided the weather allows it), these aircraft often come with limitations like speed, capacity, and range.

If these 'cheap' private jets cannot deliver what you need, then you need to look at larger, more premium offerings from plane manufacturers like Bombardier and Gulfstream. These manufacturers offer aircraft that have little to no compromises, allowing you to fly wherever you need, whenever you need. One such model is the Gulfstream G700 — one of the fastest private jets you can get today. So, let's look at this premium private jet, check out its capabilities, and discover why it's favored by one of the richest people in the world.

The G650 was Gulfstream's flagship private jet offering when it took its first flight in 2009. However, the G700 took the title when the company introduced the model, which was a derivative of the G650, in 2019. The new jet offers more space by extending the cabin by over one meter or three feet. Although maximum passenger capacity remains the same, this extension makes the G700 more comfortable, offering even more space than its predecessor. Aside from that, it also gets updated with more powerful engines, which are also more efficient, allowing the jet to fly farther and longer.

Although these improvements might sound minor, they're significant enough for the G700 that the FAA required it to go through its own extensive certification process. Gulfstream president Mark Burns says, "We have successfully completed the most rigorous certification program in company history with the H700." The meticulous certification could be seen in how long it took for the G700 to get certified. Despite taking its first flight in 2020, Gulfstream was only able to get the green light from the FAA in 2024.

One of the biggest advantages of the G700 is the distance that it can fly without needing to refuel. If you're taking off from London Heathrow, you could fly directly to Tokyo, Japan; Cape Town, South Africa; Bueno Aires, Argentina; or Los Angeles, USA, at high speed, and even farther if the jet's speed is set to long-range cruise.

These distances translate to 6,650 nautical miles at Mach 0.90 with eight passengers and four crew at high-speed cruise, and 7,750 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 when flying a long-range cruise. Although not quite the record-breaking distances that these six long-range passenger jets can fly, they're still much longer than the range of the Boeing 737 Max 7 (3,800 nautical miles) and Airbus A321 XLR (4,700 nautical miles).

Some of the potential long-distance routes that the G700 can cover include New York to Hong Kong, Sydney to Los Angeles, and Buenos Aires to Dubai. In fact, if you're based in the U.K., the only continent you cannot fly directly to would be Australia.

Aside from its massive range, one of the hallmarks of luxury in aviation is speed. As the current flagship offering of Gulfstream, the G700 is one of the fastest private jets in the skies today. This jet's maximum operating Mach number (Mmo) — which is the top speed that it can safely achieve — is Mach 0.935 or 0.935 times the speed of sound. When you translate this to the measurements that most land-bound drivers are used to, this is equal to more than 717 miles per hour or 1,154 kilometers per hour. If you fly in a straight line at this speed, you could make New York City to Atlanta (a 746-mile or 1,200-km distance) in a little over an hour.

While this is the G700's maximum speed, you usually do not fly at this level unless you need to. Its long-range cruising speed is just Mach 0.85 — 652 miles per hour or 1,049 kilometers per hour — but it will allow you to fly its maximum range of 7,750 nautical miles. But if you need to get somewhere quick, you can ask your pilots to push the G700 to its high-speed cruise speed of Mach 0.90 (690 miles per hour or 1,111 kilometers per hour). This will cut the plane's range to 6,650 nautical miles, but if you fly at high-speed cruise speeds for four hours, it will get you 132 nautical miles (152 miles or 244 kilometers) farther in the same amount of time. 

By comparison, the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX 8 both just have an Mmo of Mach 0.82 (629 miles per hour or 1,012 kilometers per hour). This means that their high speed and economical cruise speeds are likely even slower.

The G700 can typically seat a maximum of 19 passengers, divided into a maximum of five living areas. They could all enjoy this space because the G700 has an interior length of 63 feet and 8 inches, a width of 8 feet and 2 inches, plus a height of 6 feet and 3 inches. With the average car having a length of 14.7 feet and a width of 5.8 feet, you could comfortably fit over four sedans inside the plane. 

This means that the maximum 19-passenger capacity wouldn't feel cramped at all. Its over-six-foot cabin height also means that people under six feet tall do not have to worry about stooping or bumping their heads on the jet's ceiling. This makes the G700 a truly comfortable plane to fly in, especially for those who frequently fly long distances. All this space, however, translates to a lot of weight: The G700's maximum take-off weight is 107,600 lbs. By comparison, the ATR 72 turboprop airliner, which can seat over 75 passengers, only has a maximum take-off weight of 50,706 lbs.

With all these amenities and features, you'd likely want to have one of these jets in your garage. So, if you have $74 million burning a hole in your pocket, you could grab one of these jets brand-new from Gulfstream. If you've successfully acquired one of these planes, then you'll be among the likes of Jeff Bezos, who was spotted in early September 2024 flying into LAX on this luxury jet.

However, note that the $74 million price tag is just the "base" model with all the "basic" amenities. If you want to customize the plane to your desires, expect to add a few million dollars to get it to your specifications. In fact, it was noted that Bezos paid a total of $80 million for his copy of the G700 — a $5 million premium on the base price tag, assuming he bought the plane when it was introduced in 2019 for $75 million.

Aside from this initial acquisition cost, you also have to consider the operating and maintenance costs of the jet. The G700 has an estimated fixed annual cost of $1,250,000 — covering items such as personnel wages, insurance premiums, and hangar fees. If you fly the jet an average of 450 hours per year, you'll also incur an additional $2,000,000 in operating expenses, including jet fuel, airport fees, and more. That means you'll spend a cool $3,250,000 per year just to keep the G700 operational.

While the G700 is the current star of the Gulfstream lineup, it may not stay there for long. That's because the company has announced an even more premium follow-up to the jet: The G800. This plane was announced in 2021, just one year after the G700 made its first flight. This plane will reportedly have an even longer range than the current flagship and is designed to use a blend of sustainable aviation fuel. Since private jets are often associated with their massive carbon footprint, the G800 could help make private flying a bit more sustainable.

But, while the G800 is undergoing trials and awaiting certification from the FAA, the Gulfstream G700 will remain the top-end model in Gulfstream's private jet lineup. You can expect the G800 to be more expensive than the $79 million sticker price of the G700, but even if it goes for $10 million more than the current flagship, it still won't be as pricey as the most expensive private jets on the market right now.