Aflac's G280 logs a 10-minute maintenance hop at Newark Liberty

Aflac's Gulfstream G280, tail number N280AF, departed Newark Liberty International Airport at 1:41 a.m. UTC on June 4 and landed back at the same airport 10 minutes later, reaching a maximum altitude of just 1,675 feet and a top speed of 179 knots. The brief, circular itinerary — from KEWR to KEWR — is inconsistent with a typical business trip.

The likely explanation is a post-maintenance test flight. Newark Liberty is home to Gulfstream-authorized service centers, and a short local pattern is standard after inspections or repairs. Aflac's flight records show the G280 arrived in Newark the previous day from a location near Lumberton, North Carolina (coordinates 34.96, -79.78), a region with no known Aflac facilities, suggesting the aircraft may have been routed through a third-party service stop before reaching the Newark maintenance hub.

The pattern fits Aflac's known operational rhythm: the aircraft frequently shuttles between Columbus, Georgia, and major U.S. hubs for corporate meetings and investor events. A 10-minute touch-and-go at Newark is best read as an equipment check, not a passenger itinerary.