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Honda Aircraft Company today announced it has become the first twin-turbine very light business jet manufacturer to fly the HondaJet on a successful test flight running a 100% blend of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). HondaJet aircraft currently in service have been operated by customers on approved SAF blends of up to 50%. GE Honda Aero successfully completed tests of the HF120 engine on the ground utilizing 100% SAF fuel blends in 2022 and 2023, providing an early demonstration of the feasibility of the HondaJet’s recent test flight.*
“We are immensely proud of our Honda Aircraft Company engineering team carrying forward our commitment to the future of aviation by demonstrating that the HondaJet is capable of operating on a 100% SAF blend,” said Amod Kelkar, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Honda Aircraft Company. “This achievement is a step toward aligning our business activities with the global Honda goal of decarbonizing our business activities by 2050.”**
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A production-model HondaJet was fueled with a mix of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (HEFA-SPK) and Hydrodeoxygenated Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene (HDO-SAK) fuels and flew over the Greensboro area before successfully landing at the company’s world headquarters at Piedmont Triad International Airport. This test flight represents the culmination of significant efforts made by a Honda Aircraft Company engineering team, in cooperation with GE Honda Aero, a joint venture between General Electric and Honda responsible for the design of the HF120 engines equipped on the HondaJet. Under the joint venture, Honda Aero, Inc. produces the engine in Burlington, NC.
“The unique engineering of the HondaJet airframe has enabled it to hold status for the last ten years as the most efficient jet in its class. The HondaJet design focused on maintaining laminar flow across the aircraft, which offers up to a 20% improvement in fuel economy over comparable aircraft. Honda Aircraft Company was awarded Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in October 2024,” Honda said.
*AutoInformed on
**About Honda Aircraft Company
Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. responsible for the research, development, sales, marketing, customer service, and manufacture of the innovative HondaJet Elite II. Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft’s world headquarters is located in North Carolina. In 2023, the company announced plans to develop and produce the HondaJet Echelon, its newest 11-occupant aircraft which will be offered alongside the HondaJet Elite II. Cumulative HondaJet deliveries surpassed 250 planes globally in 2024. Honda Aircraft continues to advance the original challenging spirit of Honda embodied in the global Honda brand slogan “The Power of Dreams: How We Move You.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
HondaJet Flies on Sustainable Aviation Fuel!
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Honda Aircraft Company today announced it has become the first twin-turbine very light business jet manufacturer to fly the HondaJet on a successful test flight running a 100% blend of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). HondaJet aircraft currently in service have been operated by customers on approved SAF blends of up to 50%. GE Honda Aero successfully completed tests of the HF120 engine on the ground utilizing 100% SAF fuel blends in 2022 and 2023, providing an early demonstration of the feasibility of the HondaJet’s recent test flight.*
“We are immensely proud of our Honda Aircraft Company engineering team carrying forward our commitment to the future of aviation by demonstrating that the HondaJet is capable of operating on a 100% SAF blend,” said Amod Kelkar, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Honda Aircraft Company. “This achievement is a step toward aligning our business activities with the global Honda goal of decarbonizing our business activities by 2050.”**
Click for more.
A production-model HondaJet was fueled with a mix of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (HEFA-SPK) and Hydrodeoxygenated Synthetic Aromatic Kerosene (HDO-SAK) fuels and flew over the Greensboro area before successfully landing at the company’s world headquarters at Piedmont Triad International Airport. This test flight represents the culmination of significant efforts made by a Honda Aircraft Company engineering team, in cooperation with GE Honda Aero, a joint venture between General Electric and Honda responsible for the design of the HF120 engines equipped on the HondaJet. Under the joint venture, Honda Aero, Inc. produces the engine in Burlington, NC.
“The unique engineering of the HondaJet airframe has enabled it to hold status for the last ten years as the most efficient jet in its class. The HondaJet design focused on maintaining laminar flow across the aircraft, which offers up to a 20% improvement in fuel economy over comparable aircraft. Honda Aircraft Company was awarded Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) in October 2024,” Honda said.
*AutoInformed on
**About Honda Aircraft Company
Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. responsible for the research, development, sales, marketing, customer service, and manufacture of the innovative HondaJet Elite II. Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft’s world headquarters is located in North Carolina. In 2023, the company announced plans to develop and produce the HondaJet Echelon, its newest 11-occupant aircraft which will be offered alongside the HondaJet Elite II. Cumulative HondaJet deliveries surpassed 250 planes globally in 2024. Honda Aircraft continues to advance the original challenging spirit of Honda embodied in the global Honda brand slogan “The Power of Dreams: How We Move You.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.