RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Nearly 30 years after development began, and after more than a dozen years of testing, a company best known for its cars and motorcycles is about to start delivering its first aircraft: a HondaJet.
Japan-based Honda this week is expected to receive a crucial Federal Aviation Administration certification of its first business jet. That's the last step before launching full production from its manufacturing hub and headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, where it employs more than 1,000.
A company announcement is expected Wednesday.
The jet can seat up to seven and lists for about $4.5 million. It is reaching customers at least five years behind schedule. Honda has said for years that it has received more than 100 orders, primarily from customers in North America and Europe.