36 | Flight International | 22-28 May 2018 flightglobal.com
BUSINESS AVIATION
Special report
only track just the people who own busi-
ness jets, but the people who have never used
business jets before. We’re not only tracking
the aircraft buyer, but also the aircraft user.
“That’s why I brought up the example of
ANA. Many airline passengers never think of
using business jets, but if demand is expand-
ed maybe even... from 1% to 10%? And, if
demand is there, then charter operators have
to increase [their] fleet,” he says.
Having outlined his long-term strategy, Fu-
jino is asked to share his short-term plans.
The business jet market typically rolls out a
major refresh within about five to seven years
after each new model is introduced. The goal
is to stimulate new demand with product im-
provements after the manufacturer has had a
chance to maximise the return on the initial
investment in a clean-sheet aircraft.
❯❯ Again, Honda Aircraft is considering tak-
ing a different approach, with its reference
point being the consumer-oriented automo-
tive culture of its parent. “I work from the au-
tomotive industry. So, the [market] cycle is
not as long as aviation people think. Hondajet
now has good momentum. But now I want
more momentum,” says Fujino; he declines to
elaborate.
Such comments also reveal Honda Air-
craft’s unique position in the aviation indus-
try. Aviation start-ups normally enter the mar-
ket on a shoestring budget, but the HondaJet
is backed by a parent company that records
$140 billion in sales each year. It has waited a
long time for its investment in the aviation
market to pay off, but that has been the strate-
gy all along, Fujino says.
“The reason why Honda entered a business
like aviation is we see ourselves as a mobility
company,” he says. “We really want to be a
leading mobility company. The definition of
mobility includes aviation. We are looking at
this business segment as not just one year or
two, it’s very long-term.”
In the long term, Honda hopes to reap a
synergistic effect from pooling ideas and les-
sons from its wide array of product lines,
ranging from cars and motorcycles to lawn-
mowers and business jets.
“We cannot use the shape of an aircraft for
an automobile, but the technology can be ap-
plied to how to validate and verify the relia-
bility of a product,” he says. “So, I think it is
probably a very big strength of Honda to have
diverse viewpoints and diverse technology
which can resonate and produce a synergy ef-
fect as an entire company.”
In the latest year for which figures are availa-
ble, the fiscal year ending 31 March 2017,
Honda Aircraft and GE Honda Aero Engines re-
ported a combined operating loss of ¥43.8 bil-
lion ($401 million), an inauspicious beginning
for the first full fiscal year of production.
But despite the early losses, Honda remains
committed to the HondaJet programme, Fujino
says.
“We have a very tight and stringent target,
so each year we are striving to meet that
business target. The business target of
course starts from a profit or loss, so a finan-
cial target,” Fujino says. “Many business
goals are set and we have to strive to meet
those business goals. So far, we are kind of
meeting those expectations so we have
strong support from Honda Motors. And
that’s why we keep investing for the future
Fujino spent six months on control column design in a clearly automotive-influenced cockpit as well.” ■
Honda AircraftHonda AircraftNatural laminar-flow shape and over-wing engine
mounting are HondaJet trademarks