Honda Aircraft Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., which is itself a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States, the company is responsible for the research, development, manufacturing, sales, and support of the HondaJet family of light business jets.
History The origins of the company trace back to 1986 when Honda Motor Co., Ltd. initiated a research program to explore the feasibility of producing a business jet. In 1995, Honda R&D Americas, Inc. began flight testing experimental aircraft at what was then the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. Honda Aircraft Company was officially founded in August 2006 as a separate entity to commercialize the aircraft program.
Products
- HondaJet (HA-420): The company's first type-certified aircraft. It received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification in December 2015. The aircraft features an Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration, a composite fuselage, and natural laminar flow wing and nose. It is certified for single-pilot operation.
- HondaJet Elite (HA-420): Introduced in 2018, this variant offered increased maximum takeoff weight, extended range, and upgraded avionics and interior appointments.
- HondaJet Elite II (HA-420): Announced in October 2022, this variant features further increased maximum takeoff weight, extended range (up to 1,547 nautical miles), updated Garmin G3000 avionics, and cabin enhancements.
- HondaJet 2600 Concept: Unveiled in 2021, this is a conceptual light jet designed to carry up to 11 occupants with a projected range of 2,625 nautical miles. As of the current date, this model remains in the research and development phase and has not entered production or certification.
Manufacturing and Operations Final assembly, flight testing, and delivery operations are conducted at the company's world headquarters facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. The campus includes a production hangar, a customer service center, a flight simulation training center, and a flight operations hangar.
Certification and Regulatory Status The HondaJet (HA-420) holds type certification from the FAA (United States), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB), Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) of Brazil, among others.
Market Position The HondaJet competes in the very light jet (VLJ) and light jet segments against aircraft such as the Embraer Phenom 300, Cessna Citation M2, and Pilatus PC-24. Since deliveries began in 2015, the HondaJet has frequently ranked as the most delivered aircraft in its class for several consecutive years based on General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) data.
