Kash Patel's Gulfstream G550 N708JH flies 68 miles from Baton Rouge to New Orleans

Kash Patel's Gulfstream G550, tail number N708JH, flew from Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The flight departed at 21:10 UTC and landed at 21:27 UTC, spending just 17 minutes in the air. The aircraft covered a great-circle distance of 68 nautical miles, or 78 miles, at an average ground speed of 239 knots. It reached a highest altitude of 7,100 feet and a top ground speed of 301 knots.

The Gulfstream G550 is a GV-SP type, with over 617 in operation worldwide. The aircraft burns an estimated 430 US gallons of fuel per hour. The departure airport, Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, has a longest runway of 7,500 feet at an elevation of 70 feet. The arrival airport, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, has a longest runway of 10,104 feet at an elevation of 4 feet. The distance from the aircraft's home base at Manassas Regional Airport to New Orleans is 820 nautical miles.

The Gulfstream G550 is an ultra long range jet with a range of 6,750 nautical miles and a top speed of Mach 0.885. It can seat up to 19 passengers and has a service ceiling of 51,000 feet. Celebplanes estimates the flight burned about 122 US gallons of fuel, producing roughly 1,174 kilograms of CO2, about the same as driving a car 2,906 miles. The aircraft is owned by the U.S. Department of Justice and registered to FBI headquarters at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

This was the first tracked landing at New Orleans in the 30-day window ending November 4, 2026. The aircraft's home base is Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia. In the 30 days before this flight, the jet visited 20 airports across the United States, flying about 21,782 nautical miles. Recent trips include a flight from Camp Springs to Baton Rouge earlier on November 4, and a San Diego to Richmond flight on October 29.

In the 30 days before this flight, the aircraft flew 36 tracked flights totaling 57.9 hours in the air. Celebplanes estimates those flights produced about 239,334 kilograms of CO2. The longest leg in that period was from Camp Springs to San Francisco on October 6, 2026, covering 2,136 nautical miles.

Kash Patel was confirmed as the 9th Director of the FBI on February 20, 2025. As FBI director, he is required by federal policy to use the DOJ's Gulfstream G550 for both official and personal travel, for which he must reimburse the government at coach fare rates. The aircraft has drawn scrutiny after tracking showed it used for flights to Las Vegas, Hawaii, and visits to his girlfriend's hometown. In 2025, members of Congress demanded Patel reimburse taxpayers and produce records of personal flights. A web search did not find a scheduled public appearance, event, or known personal connection for Kash Patel near New Orleans on this date.

The aircraft's flight history shows 39 tracked flights from October 2 to November 4, 2026, with Richmond and Camp Springs as the most common destinations. The plane had been on the ground for about five hours before this short hop from Baton Rouge. The flight used just 1 percent of the aircraft's total range.