Business & GA

Honda Aircraft is revising its plans for European certification of the HondaJet after receiving strong interest in the light jet from potential air taxi and charter customers in the region. The company stills plans to achieve US certification first, but is looking at bringing European certification forward, says president and chief executive Michimasa Fujino.

Honda plans to begin deliveries of the $3.65 million jet in 2010, and is offering an air taxi configuration with six forward-facing passenger seats as an alternative to the basic five-passenger corporate interior. Because its engines are mounted over the wing, the HondaJet has a larger cabin, aft lavatory and baggage compartment than competing light jets. "There is strong interest in fleet sales from large corporations and fractional operators," says Fujino. "Air taxi is a future potential. We have had several presentations by entrepreneurs."

Presently based in Greensboro, North Carolina, Honda Aircraft plans to produce the HondaJet in the USA, at a location still to be decided. The Honda-owned plant will be responsible for final assembly, completion and flight test of the jet, and the company is engaged in discussions with potential suppliers of systems and subassemblies, says Fujino.

The proof-of-concept HondaJet was assembled and tested at Greensboro, which is bidding for the production plant, but most of the composite fuselage and metal wing were fabricated at Honda plants in Japan. Fujino says Honda plans to build four certification test aircraft: two for flight test, one for ground test, and one for function and reliability and other testing.