Market Spotlight: Gulfstream G550

The Gulfstream G550 is based on the Gulfstream GV and are both proven in the large cabin, long range business jet market with almost 800 total deliveries. The original GV, based on the smaller GIV with larger wings and new Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, was launched in 1992 to compete with the Bombardier Global Express, and just under 200 GVs were delivered by the time production transitioned to the new G550 in 2003. At the time, the GV was the longest range business jet in service.

The first production G550 first flew in 2002 and received US FAA certification in August 2003 with first delivery in September 2003. The certification designation for the G550 is the GV-SP. The G550 featured Gulfstream’s PlaneView cockpit, headup guidance system and enhanced vision system as standard, as well as other avionics upgrades compared to the GV. Maximum take-off weight (MTOW) was increased by 500lb (230 kg) and range was increased by 250 nm (460 km) over the GV. It is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, with a higher thrust rating compared to the GV. The G550’s stand-up cabin can accommodate up to a maximum of 19 passengers but typically seats 13 to 16 passengers. Forward or aft galley options are available. Until the arrival of the G650, the G550 had the longest range of any business jet at 6,750 nm (12,500 km).

Data Source: Gulfstream, AMSTAT, Conklin & de Decker, ASG Note: Using Conklin de Decker data under the assumption of 400 flight hours per year. The number of total aircraft in operation are from AMSTAT and ASG, which might differ from Gulfstream’s official numbers.

Data Source: AMSTAT

Apart from corporate and executive users, the G550 is also popular as a government/head of state aircraft, and is also used by numerous air forces around the world in the transport and reconnaissance roles.

The G550 sits at the high end of the large cabin, long range business jet category, and its main competitors are the Dassault Falcon 7X/8X and the Bombardier Global family. The G550 features the longest range among these aircraft, although the competing Global family has up to 28% more cabin volume and a higher MTOW.

The Gulfstream G650 entered service in December 2012 to become Gulfstream’s flagship business jet. While it is not strictly a G550 replacement, users upgraded from the G550 to the G650 to take advantage of its longer range and larger cabin. The G550 and G650 together remained in production for almost nine years before the final Gulfstream G550 was handed over in 2021, concluding almost 25 years of GV/G550 production.

Gulfstream launched two clean-sheet designs in 2014 – the G500 and G600. These feature a new, optimized wing and a wider cabin than the G550, including cabin styling and features from the G650. The G500 and G600 are equipped with the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck and has fly-by-wire controls, also featured on the G650. On paper, the G600 is the closest G550 replacement, with a similar MTOW, cabin volume but a shorter range of 6,500 nm.

Data Source: AMSTAT & ASG

There were 617 Gulfstream G550s in service worldwide at the end of Q2 2025, with two-thirds of the fleet based in North America. The Asia-Pacific based fleet comprised 69 aircraft, with 59 in Europe, 41 in Latin America and Caribbean, 15 in the Middle East and nine in Africa. Mainland China had the largest fleet of based G550s in Asia-Pacific with 26 aircraft, followed by Hong Kong with 11, Singapore with eight, and Philippines with six. The G550 was the leading long range business jet in mainland China for a number of years, but has been superseded by newer types, in particular the G650 series.

G550 availability has fluctuated over the past few years but has increased overall. There were 36 pre owned G550s listed as available for sale at the end of Q2 2025, which was similar year-on-year. Availability peaked in November 2024 with 48 aircraft and reduced to 28 in April 2025 – the lowest availability since February 2023. With a reduction in the number of transactions in Q2 and more aircraft coming onto the pre-owned market, availability increased by almost 30% during Q2 2025. In terms of percentage of fleet available for sale, the 36 G550s listed at the end of Q2 2025 represented a 5.8% of the active fleet, down from a maximum of 7.8% in November 2024. An overall increase in availability is expected to continue as older aircraft are released into the pre-owned market. The age profile of G550s currently on the market shows more than 65% were built between 2003 and 2010.

With an overall trend of increasing availability, the average days on market for the G550 has almost doubled compared to Q2 2022, and average asking prices have reduced by some 18% during the same period. Sample asking prices of G550s currently on the market range from USD 11.495 million for a 2008 model with over 14,000 hours total to USD 27.75 million for 2016 model with around 3,600 hours total time. As expected with the regional distribution of the fleet, almost three-quarters of pre-owned G550s for sale are based in North America.

Data Source: ASG Business Jet Fleet Report YE 2024

While the G550 has been superseded by newer aircraft with longer range, more cabin space and configuration options and higher performance, it remains a popular and desirable large cabin jet. Early build G550s with around 6,500 hours total are available on the pre-owned market for around USD 15 million, which is good value for money when considering the G550 is a large cabin, 6,750 nm jet and some even come with refurbished cabins and inflight connectivity. Aircraft enrolled in engine maintenance programs are more desirable and command higher values. Pre-owned G550s are attractive to users looking to upgrade, as well as first time buyers of large cabin jets.

For example, users of the smaller G450 can upgrade to the larger and longer range G550 at a reasonable cost. The main competitors of pre-owned G550s are the Global XRS/6000 which feature a larger cabin, and also the Falcon 7X/8X. Availability of pre-owned examples of the newer Global 5500 and 6500 are also increasing, but at a higher price point. Availability of pre-owned G550s is expected to increase but transaction levels should remain fairly consistent throughout the next few years as pricing becomes more affordable and more users look to upgrade or replace older aircraft.