Aviation gadfly Jack Sweeney says Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took delivery of a G700, Gulfstream’s recently certified flagship with a base price of $80 million, last month. The college student, who has tracked flights of Elon Musk and Taylor Swift, wrote a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the G700 with the tail number N11AF was delivered on July 10, with its FAA certification coming five days later. It is registered under TVPX Aircraft Solutions.
It is believed that Bezos also owns two Gulfstream G650s and a Pilatus PC-24 business jet. The collective value of the four jets is estimated at over $200 million.
After nine months of delays, the first G700s were delivered to owners earlier this year, with the first two going to Qatar Airways. Musk is also believed to have ordered a G700. Bezos used the FAA’s Privacy ICAO Aircraft Address (PIA) program to literally fly under the radar on multiple flights, with a temporary registration number. The PIA prevents the public from tracking a private jet.
The G700 has a maximum cruising speed of Mach 0.935 and transcontinental range of about 7,750 nautical miles. It’s unclear how Bezos outfitted his G700, which could’ve added many millions to the base price, but the large-cabin jet can be divided into five living areas, including a bedroom with a shower at the rear, a media zone in the center, a large forward “ultra-galley,” and the potential to carry 19 passengers, with 13 sleeper seats.
Gulfstream says it has “the most spacious cabin in the industry,” measuring nearly 57 feet long. Bombardier and Dassault Aviation, its primary competitors, have their own best-in-class statistics regarding their latest ultra-long-range offerings, the Bombardier Global 8000 and Dassault 10X.
This segment is now offering the most advanced business aircraft, with ergonomics like large oval windows (the G700 has 20), cabins that have low pressurization levels, lights that adjust automatically to mitigate jet lag for inter-continental travel, high-tech air filtration, advanced entertainment systems, and large galleys.
The G700 has set more than 50 world speed records, often between Savannah, Georgia, where Gulfstream is based, and cities where the aircraft has flown for demonstration purposes. Gulfstream says that its aerodynamic wings, new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, and advanced avionics flight deck add up to improved fuel efficiency.
