He’s used it to fly to different parts of the world in the past two years but Irish businessman Denis O’Brien has now decided to sell his state-of-the-art Gulfstream jet for a cool $67.95 million (€59.74 million).
O’GaraJets in Atlanta is selling the Gulfstream G650 S/N 6032, which carries a small Irish tricolour on its tail fin. A short video promoting the benefits of the jet is running on You Tube.
Mr O’Brien acquired the aircraft as new in 2013 and, according to the O’GaraJets website, the plane has flown 1,734 hours in the intervening period, making 558 landings. It comes with an “extended” Gulfstream warranty.
Mr O’Brien is a renowned globetrotter, regularly visiting the Caribbean and the Pacific islands, where his mobile phone company Digicel has extensive operations.
He is also a regular traveller to the the US, and Asia, where he sought a mobile phone licence in Myanmar.
In addition, Mr O’Brien is an annual visitor to Davos, where the world’s top business, political and academic leaders meet to discuss events of the day, and he has travelled around Europe supporting the Irish soccer team and to watch rugby.
The Gulfstream jet can accommodate three crew and 15 passengers and sleeps up to six people “comfortably”, according to the video.
The aircraft has a range of 7,000 nautical miles and a maximum cruise speed of 516 knots. It costs $5443 an hour to fly.
The sale brochure said it is finished with “sandstone leather club chairs, Belvedair Diana seat cushions, swirl walnut burl wood, satin silver metal hardware and camel carpeting”.
It also has electrically operated console tables and window shades, and “state-of-the-art entertainment” systems.
The jet is likely to attract significant interest with aviation sources indicating that there is a currently a waiting list for the aircraft.
It is not clear how much Mr O’Brien paid for the aircraft in 2013 although the list price would have been higher than its current sale tag.
It is also unclear why Mr O’Brien has chosen to sell the jet or whether he is planning to replace it with another model.
No comment
No comment on the sale was available from Mr O’Brien last night.
This plane is the latest in the Gulfstream fleet, having been introduced in 2013.
In the promotional video, captain Nick Robshaw, a pilot on the plane, said the aircraft has been used for short-haul flights “hopping around Europe” and to fly to the west coast of the US and to south east Asia, where it can travel to Europe “comfortably” in one go.
He said it typically flies 900 hours a year, which is “probably about double” what other Gulfstream aircraft can achieve. “I can say hand on heart that we haven’t missed a trip for technical issues,” he added.
Mr Robshaw said it is also a “much, much calmer” aircraft than previous models.
Mr O’Brien is no stranger to aviation. He has owned or used other corporate jets to travel the globe for a number of years and previously co-founded a Dublin-based aircraft leasing company called Aergo Capital before selling his interest in the business.
