LAS VEGAS, NEV. – Honda Aircraft Company, along with senior officials from the State of North Carolina and the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance, announced October 10, 2011, Honda’s selection of Greensboro, North Carolina, as the location for its new HondaJet Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. The company will invest an additional $20 million to build the new MRO facility, bringing its total capital investment for construction of its North Carolina facilities to more than $120 million. The announcement was made during the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention in Las Vegas, while North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue and Triad area officials made a simultaneous announcement in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“We intend to offer HondaJet customers an overall ownership experience that is second to none in business aviation and one that is commensurate with all the best attributes of Honda,” said Michimasa Fujino, President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company.
The selection of North Carolina also underscores Honda’s continued, significant investment in the HondaJet program, and its commitment to the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, where the company is already headquartered.
Honda’s plan is to invest an additional $80 million and create 419 more high-paying jobs. The company currently employs 600 people in engineering and administration.
Design of the MRO facility, which is expected to encompass more than 80,000 square feet, will be finalized in the first quarter of 2012, with construction scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2012, and occupancy to begin in the first half of 2013. This timing supports the HondaJet’s scheduled certification and entry into service in mid-2013.
The Hondjet is equipped with two GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines which are installed over-the-wing that dramatically improves performance and fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. The HondaJet is equipped with a Honda-customized Garmin® G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system with a class-leading layout of three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual touch-screen controllers. The HondaJet is Honda’s first-ever commercial aircraft and lives up to the company’s reputation for superior performance, efficiency, and value www.hondajet.com.
