On July 9th a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER set off to break the world record for circumnavigating the world. The mission dubbed “One More Orbit” was to honor the Apollo 11 moon landing. The four-legged mission took off from NASA’s Cape Canaveral and made 3 stops; Astana, Kazakhstan, the Island of Mauritius, Punta Arenas Chile and then back to Florida. The total distance was 21691nm and was completed in just 46 hours, 39 minutes and 38 seconds, shaving nearly 6 hours off of the previous record.
Later in the week while at a White House ceremony, Qatar Airways also confirmed a deal with Gulfstream worth $1 billion. Ordering 14 G650ERs and 4 G500’s. Deliveries have not been announced however these aircraft add to Qatar’s current fleet of 6 G650ER’s and 4 G500’s.
