HondaJet Production Increases Eyed

The HondaJet has been on sale for less than a week and the Honda Aircraft Company says it’s already looking at boosting production of the twinjet, which won’t be certified until 2010. In a news release, Honda said it took deposits on more than 100 orders for the $3.65 million plane during the three-day National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando last week. “Due to this overwhelming response, we are now considering an increase in our production plan to meet the needs of our customers,” said Honda Aircraft CEO Michimasa Fujino. At EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh in July, Honda announced plans to proceed with commercial development of the jet, but it didn’t give price details or timelines at the time. Fujino said that in addition to the individual orders, negotiations are underway with potential fleet customers, although details of those possible future deals weren’t revealed.