Honda breaks ground for US$100 million HondaJet production facility

Greensboro, USA: Honda Aircraft Company, Inc. (HACI) conducted a ground breaking ceremony for its new 369,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at Piedmont Triad International (PTI) airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"By breaking ground for this new Honda Aircraft facility today, we take the next important step in getting HondaJets into the skies tomorrow," said Michimasa Fujino, president & CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, Inc. "With the warm reception we have received in the Triad, and the great response HondaJet has received from our customers, we are confident of a very bright future here in North Carolina."

HACI will manage the research, development, sales, marketing and manufacturing of the advanced light jet, HondaJet, at the new facility, which will replace the company's existing 32,000 square foot hangar and office complex at PTI.

Phase one of construction will be completed in Spring 2008, and will consist of approximately 219,000 square feet of offices, research facilities and an airplane hangar.

The HondaJet production facility, measuring approximately 150,000 square feet, is currently in the design phase. HACI plans to begin deliveries of HondaJet to customers in 2010.

The company will invest about US$100 million for construction of the headquarters and production facility, including equipment.

The company also anticipates that Canadian and American companies would supply about 90 per cent of HondaJet's component parts.

HondaJet will be Honda's first-ever commercial aircraft and promises to deliver class-topping cruise speed and fuel efficiency, greater luggage capacity and a more spacious cabin with seating for up to eight people, as compared to other products in the very light jet (VLJ) class.

All major assembly and testing of the prototype HondaJet has been conducted at the company's existing Greensboro facility, which opened in 2001 as an extension of Honda's global R&D operations.