Honda takes off with new jet program

HondaJet, the car-maker’s first airplane, has successfully completed its first journey after it took off from Honda Aircraft headquarters in North Carolina for a 84-minute flight.

The plane made its debut sooner than expected as its certification and delivery were not expected until next year.

‘With this first flight, the HondaJet programme has entered the next exciting phase as we prepare for delivery. Today's celebration is the culmination of extensive engineering and production efforts, and this is an important achievement in bringing the world's most advanced light jet to market,’ said Honda Aircraft president and CEO, Michimasa Fujino.

The HondaJet can carry up to five persons at a maximum cruise speed of 777 kph and a 13,106 meters altitude. The plane is currently sold for $4.5 million and the company said that it already has over 100 orders.

It was back in 2006 when Honda first announced that it wants in on the aircraft business.