Photo/Illutration Honda Aircraft Co. plans to launch a new light jet in the United States around 2028, enabling nonstop transcontinental flights from New York to Los Angeles. (Provided by Honda Motor Co.)

Honda Aircraft Co. is seeking to lure business travelers who want to save time with a new light jet that will be the world's first aircraft of its kind that can cross the continental United States without having to refuel.

Honda Motor Co.’s aircraft subsidiary announced on June 14 that it will release the aircraft in the United States based on the HondaJet 2600 concept, which was unveiled at a trade show in Las Vegas in 2021.

The new light jet has a range of around 4,862 kilometers, which is 1.7 times farther than the previous Honda jets. It enables nonstop transcontinental flights from New York to Los Angeles.

“For those who frequently travel between the East Coast and West Coast, the time advantage of being able to cross nonstop is significant,” said a Honda Aircraft public relations staffer.

The company aims to obtain type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration around 2028.

The new jet, the company’s fifth model, can seat 11 passengers. It will be classified as a “light jet” weighing around 5.7 to 9.1 tons, one category above the previous “very light jet” models weighing about 5.7 tons or less.

The new light jet can achieve up to 20 percent improved fuel efficiency compared to typical light jets and more than 40 percent than the next category of midsize jets.

The United States is the world’s largest market for business jets, with around 22,000 aircraft as of the end of 2020. It holds a wide margin over Germany in second place with 783 and Britain in third place with 525.

Japan had 70 jets as of the end of 2021.

The development of the HondaJet began based on the vision of Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda. The company began mass production of jet aircraft in the United States in 2012.

From 2015, when the first model was delivered, to March of this year, a total of 227 units had been shipped.

Until 2021, HondaJet achieved the world’s top position in the very light jet category for the number of deliveries for five consecutive years.

However, Honda’s aircraft business unit has been operating at a loss.

“We would like to generate a profit as quickly as possible through cost reductions and increasing service revenues,” the public relations staffer said.

Related News