Gulfstream on a Determined Sustainable Path
The sustainability programme of the aerospace company goes beyond the usage of SAF and includes various innovative ways
Last year in December, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation recognised the many achievements of its Customer Support organisation in 2020, including operations and expansions across the globe, new technologies for Gulfstream aircraft and continued success in sustainability, which has been at the core of Gulfstream’s operations.
To especially note its effort towards sustainability in the pandemic year, the manufacturer highlighted that in July 2020, Gulfstream opened an all-new, 2,25,000-square-feet service center in Farnborough, England. The facility which can accommodate up to 13 large-cabin aircraft, including the Gulfstream G700 has been created in line with Gulfstream’s sustainability strategy. The Farnborough facility has been designed with environmental benefits, including rainwater harvesting, radiant heating systems in the purpose-built hangar, intelligent lighting controls and heat recovery systems.
In September last year the company had also announced the extension of its contract with World Fuel Services to continue providing the business-jet manufacturer with a steady supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by World Energy. Gulfstream President Mark Burns announced the deal during the Virtual 2020 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit to discuss pathways to accelerate the market for SAF.
QUICK FACT SHEET
| PEAK EFFICIENCY & PERFORMANCE | INDUSTRY - LEADING FUEL ECONOMY | PRECISION NAVIGATION CAPABILITIES | FEWER EMISSIONS | LOWEST COMMUNITY NOISE LEVELS |
CARBON OFFSET PROGRAMME
Gulfstream operators can further reduce their carbon footprint with the carbon offsets programme, which is available through Gulfstream’s Aircraft Ownership Service and funds activities that generate an equal reduction in carbon emissions.
SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) LEADERSHIP
| 1.2M+ NAUTICAL MILES • Flown on Saf | 1,500+ METRIC TONS3 • CO2 eliminated using SAF | 900,000 Galons 3 • SAF blend4 used to date |
GREEN FACILITIES
9 LEED1 1 BREAM2 Awarded to Gulfstream facilities for their:
|
| 65% of Savannah service and manufacturing and spaces have LED lighting |
| 100% of Dallas maintenance and completions facilities operate on renewable solar and wind energy |
1LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. 2BREEAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method. 3Data from March 2016 to May 2020. 430 percent SAF and 70 percent Jet A.
This contract extends Gulfstream’s original multiyear purchase agreement, which was the first of its kind in business aviation when it was signed in 2015. Since March 2016, Gulfstream has used SAF for its Savannah-based fleet, which comprises corporate, demonstration, completion, customer support and flight test aircraft. The company has made more than 650 flights using 9,00,000 gallons of SAF-JET, a fuel blend, flying more than 1.3 million nautical miles and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,700 metric tonnes.
Gulfstream claims that its sustainability strategy helps support industry goals established by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). The goals include:
- 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 relative to 2005 levels;
- 2 per cent improvement in fuel-efficiency per year from 2010 to 2020;
- Carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onward.
In 2019, the company launched a service that allows operators to pay a usage-based annual fee towards activities that generate an equal reduction in carbon emissions, helping them to offset the carbon footprint of their flights. The offsets fund certified and verified projects covering wind energy, forest management, farm power and the recovery and utilisation of landfill gas. Gulfstream does not charge operators a fee to administer its carbon offset service. Customers simply let Gulfstream know their projected annual flight hours and are invoiced a monthly fee, which is invested in environmentally beneficial activities through a third-party provider chosen by Gulfstream. One carbon offset represents the reduction of 1 metric tonne/2,205 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, the company added.
Gulfstream had also announced that the Gulfstream G650ER, Gulfstream G600, Gulfstream G500, Gulfstream G550 and Gulfstream G280 made the company’s first carbon-neutral flights, traveling from Savannah to the Las Vegas area for the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE). The five flights were made using a combination of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and carbon offsets.
The renewable fuel used by Gulfstream is produced by World Energy at its refinery in Paramount, California, from a feedstock of agricultural waste, fats and oils. Fuel and aviation services provider World Fuel Services manages the logistics, including distribution of SAF to Gulfstream on both US coasts. In addition to using the 30/70 blend of low-carbon, drop-in SAF at its Savannah headquarters, Gulfstream makes it available for customers at its Van Nuys and Long Beach, California, service centers. SAF is the only fuel on-site at Gulfstream Long Beach, which also uses it for completions and delivery flights.
“The innovative partnership between Gulfstream and World Energy paved the way for a larger sustainability movement,” Burns said. “For almost a decade, we have leveraged our collaboration with World Energy to increase awareness and availability of SAF around the world. We look forward to continuing that work.”
In December 2019, Gulfstream had announced that its Savannah-based fleet has flown more than 1.85 million kilometers on SAF. Gulfstream highlights that it uses a blend of 30 per cent low-carbon, drop-in fuel derived from agricultural waste and 70 per cent traditional Jet A. SAF provides the same performance as conventional, petroleum-based jet fuel and requires no changes to factory-standard engines or aircraft. Every gallon used by Gulfstream’s Savannah-based fleet saves at least 60 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions on a life-cycle basis vs. petroleum-based jet fuel, claims the manufacturer.
LAST YEAR, GULFSTREAM OPENED A SERVICE CENTER IN FARNBOROUGH, DESIGNED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, INCLUDING RAINWATER HARVESTING, RADIANT HEATING SYSTEMS IN THE PURPOSE-BUILT HANGAR, INTELLIGENT LIGHTING CONTROLS AND HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEMS
Gulfstream has announced a new service that reinforces the company’s commitment to sustainability and provides Gulfstream operators with the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint associated with their flights.
There are several elements to Gulfstream’s sustainability programme, including aircraft sustainability, eco-friendly buildings and the use of SAF for its corporate, demonstration, Customer Support and Flight Test fleets in Savannah. In addition, Gulfstream’s Long Beach, California, maintenance and completions facility sells SAF to customers and uses it for completions and delivery flights. The first business jets certified for stage 5 community noise levels are those of Gulfstream. Some of the aspects of Gulfstream’s sustainability programme include:
SUSTAI NABILITY BY DESIGN
Gulfstream’s innovative, clean wing designs deliver a combination of record-breaking speed and range, exceptional comfort, and better aerodynamic efficiency for a smaller carbon footprint. The wings of the Gulfstream G500, G600, G650, G650ER and G700 are manufactured on-site, decreasing transportation emissions and packaging waste.
POWERING CONSERVATI ON
State-of-the-art engines across Gulfstream’s fleet decrease fuel usage, produce fewer greenhouse gases, and are central to the company’s unparalleled achievements in engine noise reduction, which means minimised disruption to communities and ecosystems worldwide.
LEADING THE INDUSTRY
Gulfstream’s Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) allows authorised pilots to land in low-visibility conditions, increasing efficiency by reducing go-arounds and saving fuel and time. In 2018, Gulfstream had become the world’s first aerospace company to certify EFVS for touchdown and rollout.
DRIVEN BY R&D
Across the 6,26,743 square feet of research and development facilities that Gulfstream has, the manufacturer provides the industry’s leading talent with the space, tools and state-of-the-art technology to innovate for future flight. This steadfast investment in the company’s labs—for development, training and human factors testing—reduces in-air flight-test hours, thus reducing carbon emissions.
GREEN FACILITIES
Gulfstream, ensures that it is building for the future. At the company’s Savannah headquarters, multiple facilities have LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications for design, materials and technologies that drastically reduce water and energy usage.
FUELING PROGRESS
Gulfstream believes that the future of business travel is powered by SAF. Throughout its lifecycle, SAF achieves at least 60 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per gallon, compared to petroleum-based jet fuel. Since 2016, Gulfstream has used this cleaner alternative in daily operations including the Gulfstream G700 flight-test programme. In 2019, the company became the first business jet manufacturer to make SAF available to customers.
CARBON NEUTRAL TRAVEL
Gulfstream underlines its pride in raising the bar for eco-conscious business travel, and invites its customers to take part in that achievement, an example of which is the carbon offset programme, which is available through Gulfstream’s Aircraft Ownership Service and funds activities that generate an equal reduction in carbon emissions.
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