The HondaJet compact plane has already proved a winner in North America and Europe, and now Japanese high-flyers will also have the chance to travel in the comfortable, fuel-efficient jets. Honda Motor Co. announced on June 6 that it has begun taking orders for the aircraft that can accommodate up to seven people and is characterized by its engines sitting above the wings. It has a flying distance of 2,661 kilometers, meaning business travelers can fly from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Beijing or Taipei without refueling. Manufactured by Honda Aircraft Co., a Honda Motor subsidiary, the HondaJet will be priced at $5.25 million (about 577 million yen). Time will tell if the aircraft can take off among Japan’s business community as it has in the West. According to the Japan Business Aviation Association, there are about 90 small jets operating in Japan in both the private and public sectors. In contrast, the United States, the world’s largest market, has about 13,000 small jets. Honda Motor founder Soichiro Honda declared in 1962 that his company would develop a light aircraft. Production of the HondaJet began at a U.S. plant in 2012, and the first aircraft was delivered in 2015. Forty-three of the plane were sold in 2017, making it the best-selling aircraft weighing 5.7 tons or less.
Source: http://www.asahi.com/
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