The Honda Aircraft Company is delaying delivery of its Echelon jet. The Greensboro-based subsidiary of Honda revealed the name and key milestones for Echelon in 2023.
Officials said the first-of-its-kind light jet capable of nonstop transcontinental flight would be ready for takeoff three years later and delivered in 2028. Recently, the company announced that both milestones would be delayed by a few years due to supply chain setbacks.
Par for the course, says Molly McMillin. She’s managing editor for Business Aviation with Aviation Week. She says even though supply issues are much better than they were during COVID, there are still hiccups.
"You know, as the old joke goes, how many parts does it take to build an airplane?" she says. "Well, all of them. So you, even though your problems aren't as many or as complicated, it still takes all of the parts to show up, so you can get an airplane out the door."
McMillin adds that certification is also a long process. By way of example, she says the now well-known HondaJet began as a top-secret project in Japan back in 1985. They debuted the prototype 20 years later, with first deliveries in 2015.