HondaJet flight service to be tested this year

The Yomiuri Shimbun
A HondaJet is seen in July 2018.

A transportation service using the domestically produced HondaJet light business jet is scheduled to begin on a trial basis this year, Honda Motor Co. has announced.

The service will target corporate employees and private business owners, ferrying them on business trips and for other purposes. Cars and motorcycles will also be provided for passengers’ movement between airports and their travel destinations.

Honda also plans to offer the service for sightseeing in the future.

It has yet to decide at which airports to conduct the services and exactly when the trial will be launched. However, Honda envisions flying between regional cities, which have few transportation options such as regular air services and railroads.

The jets will be operated by a Honda group company and other businesses.

Business jets are increasingly being utilized as a convenient means of transportation in Europe and the United States, but the market is still small in Japan. Honda hopes to ascertain the HondaJet’s effectiveness as a transportation service and expand its use in Japan.