Currently Sitting It Out Through May 1st

While pundits, galore, prophesy the return of 'normalcy' as the global pandemic continues to rear it's ugly head, the overall effect on aviation continues to be ponderous. With businesses shuttered by choice or government degree, and workers trying to stay at least 6 feet apart for those still punching the clock, the normally conservative world of aviation is taking a slow approach to potential recovery. 

A case in point is Honda Aircraft. Last week they confirmed that it was extending a previously announced suspension of production of its HondaJet Elite bizjet -- at least through May 1.

Having shut down last month, Honda had originally hoped to resume production on or about April 15. But, the additional two weeks delay in production suspension suggests that HondaJets will be sitting idle for a few more weeks, if not longer. Further; HondaJet notes it is concerned about, “the anticipated decline in market demand across the business aviation industry because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.”

While three dozen HondaJets rolled off the assembly line last year, HAC is also still in the process of constructing a new $15.5 million dollar, 83,000-square-foot wing production facility, which began in 2019 and is scheduled for completion later this year, at its Greensboro, North Carolina HQ.

Prior to the virus, HondaJet was on a roll... In 2019, the company received type certification from China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China, Canada’s Transport Canada Civil Aviation, and Turkey’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The company is also proud of the significant diversification of uses for the HondaJet Elite, which began including medevac configurations in air ambulances in 2019.

FMI: www.hondajet.com