Rory McIlroy's Gulfstream G650ER flies 48 nm from Abu Dhabi to Dubai

Rory McIlroy's Gulfstream G650ER, tail number N1989R, flew from Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The aircraft departed at 08:50 UTC and landed at 09:12 UTC, spending 23 minutes in the air. The flight covered a great-circle distance of 48 nautical miles, or 55 miles.

The Gulfstream G650ER is an ultra long range jet with a maximum range of 7,500 nautical miles, a top speed of Mach 0.925, and a service ceiling of 51,000 feet. It can seat up to 19 passengers. During the flight, the aircraft reached a highest altitude of 5,950 feet and a top ground speed of 240 knots. Celebplanes estimates the flight burned about 179 US gallons of fuel and produced about 1,719 kilograms of carbon dioxide, roughly the same as driving a car 4,256 miles.

The aircraft's average ground speed on this leg was 126 knots. The flight used about 1 percent of the Gulfstream G650ER's total range. Al Bateen Executive Airport's longest runway is 10,499 feet, while Al Maktoum International's longest runway is 14,764 feet. The distance from the aircraft's home base in West Palm Beach to Dubai is about 6,769 nautical miles.

This was the first tracked landing at Al Maktoum International Airport for N1989R in the current tracking window. The aircraft's home base is President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the 30 days before this flight, the aircraft visited 11 airports in 7 countries and flew about 26,615 nautical miles. The longest leg in that period was a 6,765 nautical mile flight from West Palm Beach to Abu Dhabi on November 2. Other tracked aircraft that landed at Al Maktoum International Airport in the 24 hours before this landing include a Bombardier Global 7500 registered to a private owner.

In the 30 days before this flight, the aircraft logged 11 flights, 55.1 hours in the air, and an estimated 248,778 kilograms of carbon dioxide. The most common destinations in that window were West Palm Beach with 11 landings, Cleveland with 6, and Belfast with 2. The aircraft had been on the ground for about six days before this departure.

Rory McIlroy is a Northern Irish professional golfer on the PGA Tour. He has won five major championships, including the 2014 Masters, two US PGA Championships, the 2014 Open Championship, and the 2025 Masters, which completed his career grand slam. He also serves as a PGA Tour Player Director and lives in Jupiter, Florida. No public events or appearances tied to Rory McIlroy or his organisation were found near Dubai on this date.

The flight ended after a six-day layover in Abu Dhabi. The Gulfstream G650ER continues its regular pattern of shuttling between McIlroy's Florida home and other destinations.