Honda Aircraft says Echelon programme on track after delivery slip to 2031

Honda Aircraft says the HA-480 Echelon light jet remains on schedule, after the company last month moved its projected first delivery to 2031. The Greensboro, North Carolina manufacturer had earlier expected certification as soon as 2028. It blamed the revision on unspecified problems involving a tier-one supplier it has declined to identify.

How the Echelon's composite fuselages will be sourced is also unsettled. Honda said in 2023 that Spirit AeroSystems would build the components at a site in Kinston, North Carolina. Boeing's acquisition of Spirit late last year left Airbus owning the Kinston facility, and the status of the fuselage work is unclear. Honda says it will soon give more detail on the supply arrangement.

"Echelon is in full energy," chief commercial officer Amod Kelkar said, adding that lead times are now on firmer ground.

The clean-sheet jet is a step upmarket from the HA-420 HondaJet Elite II, the company's only aircraft in production, which seats five to seven passengers and has a range of 1,547nm. The Echelon is designed to carry 10 passengers over 2,625nm, cruise at 450kt and fly as high as 47,000ft. Kelkar said it offers twice the seats and 1.7 times the range of the HondaJet, and he expects interest from charter and fractional-ownership operators.

Honda has stressed the jet's ability to fly transcontinental US routes. The first Echelon wing structure has been assembled, with four more in build. Twin FJ44-4C engines will power the aircraft.