Honda Aircraft’s $4.5 million HondaJet remains on track for certification in the first quarter of 2015 with service entry of the light twinjet planned immediately afterwards.
Speaking at the NBAA show this morning, a bullish Honda Aircraft president and chief executive Michimasa Fujino said the airframer is now readying its Greensborough, North Carolina headquarters for customer handovers. “We plan to deliver 50 aircraft in 2015 and up to 80 in 2016,” he says.
“Over the past three weeks, many customers experienced their first flight in the HondaJet during a special demonstration tour,” Fujino adds. “We are now in the final phase of certification testing with the FAA, with all four test aircraft maintaining an intensive schedule,” So far the aircraft have notched up around 2,000 flight hours across 70 US locations, Honda says.
It now has five aircraft now flying, including the first production aircraft, MSN 11, which is on display at the NBAA static. The second production aircraft – MSN 12 - will take to the skies in the next few months.
Honda is also expanding its US headquarters by 6,910m² (74,400 ft²) to include a showroom and design centre and an extension to the production and delivery hangar.
“We have also launched a finance company which will begin accepting loans imminently,” says Fujino.
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Source: FlightGlobal.com
