First Gulfstream G500 delivery delayed until Q1 2018

The first Gulfstream G500 delivery has been pushed back from the end of 2017 until the first quarter of 2018.

Gulfstream says that the hold-up is due to an unidentified supplier “misjudging” the paperwork requirements for EASA certification.

The comments were made by Jason Aiken, senior vice-president and chief financial officer of Gulfstream’s parent company General Dynamics, during its third quarter results investor relations call.

The Savannah-based airframer was attempting to get the US FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency to simultaneously certificate the G500.

Gulfstream had planned to deliver the first G500 into its demonstration fleet at the end of 2017, with the first customer aircraft following shortly afterwards in the first quarter of 2018.

Aiken says that Gulfstream is monitoring the supplier closely, and still plans to deliver the first customer aircraft on schedule.

During the third quarter the manufacturer delivered 30 aircraft, up one from the 29 delivered in the third quarter of 2016. The majority were made up of large cabin aircraft, although these dropped from 23 aircraft to 21.

Mid-cabin deliveries rose, up 50% from six aircraft to nine.