Honda Aircraft Co. has a "memorandum of understanding" with ANA Holdings, the parent of Japan’s largest commercial airline, which will adopt the HondaJet for its charter and feeder flights supporting its hubs in North America and Europe. Also, ANA formed a partnership with Sojitz, a Japanese general trading company, to form a new business jet operator in Japan, to be called ANA Business Jet Co. Ltd.
All Nippon Airways, ANA’s largest carrier, operates about 260 commercial aircraft throughout the world. ANA Business Jet is scheduled to start service this summer.
“Through this strategic partnership and use of the HondaJet, ANA will create new demand to utilize business jets, in particular for travelers of various Japanese entities who value convenience and privacy in their overseas travel,” explained ANA Holdings president and CEO Shinya Katanozaka.
Honda Motor Co. established Honda Aircraft in 2006 to produce business jets according to its prototype design, though production was delayed several times. It set up a manufacturing plant and maintenance center in Greensboro, N.C., where it manufactures the HondaJet HA-420.
The jets incorporate various technological innovations in aviation design, including the Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration that improves performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. OTWEM design also reduces cabin sound, minimizes ground-detected noise, “and allows for the roomiest cabin in class, the largest baggage capacity, and a fully serviceable private aft lavatory.”
The HondaJet is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines, and equipped with a glass flight deck, a Honda-customized Garmin G3000 avionics system with three, 14-in. landscape-format displays, and dual touch-screen controllers.
Honda Aircraft has a sales and service network for HondaJet customers in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
“I am confident the HondaJet will meet and exceed their customers’ expectations with its unrivaled speed, efficiency, luxurious features and comfort. I’m looking forward to expanding the business jet market through the use of the HondaJet by ANA,” stated Honda Aircraft President and CEO Michimasa Fujino.
