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Honda HA-420 HondaJet

Honda Aircraft · Business jet · In production — Honda Aircraft Company

The one with the engines on top.

Length12.99 m
Wingspan12.12 m
Range2,865 km
MTOW5 t
Typical seats7
Built250+
Our numbers

Derived metrics

Computed by aircraft.fyi from the core specification — see how we calculate these.

Seats per metre#33 of 35
0.54 seats/m typical seats ÷ fuselage length
Range per tonne#5 of 65
590.2 km/t maximum range ÷ MTOW in tonnes
Span-to-length ratio#26 of 68
0.93 wingspan ÷ fuselage length
Weight per metre#64 of 68
0.37 t/m MTOW ÷ fuselage length
Range in hours#45 of 65
3.7 h maximum range ÷ cruise speed
Weight per seat#19 of 35
693 kg MTOW ÷ typical seats
Sense of scale

What size is it, really?

The Honda HA-420 HondaJet's wingspan, against things you already know the size of.

Honda HA-420 HondaJet12.12 m
Airbus A38079.75 m
Football pitch (width)68 m
Blue whale25 m
New Routemaster bus11.2 m
You (probably)1.75 m
Specification

The numbers

Length12.99 m
Wingspan12.12 m
Height4.30 m
Max takeoff weight4,854 kg
Max cruise782 km/h
Maximum range2,865 km
Engines2 x GE Honda HF120, 9.1 kN each
Service ceiling13,106 m
SeatsUp to 7

Compare it

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Last verified: 2026-07-20 · Spot an error? business@luck.fyi

The story

What makes it different

Almost every jet puts its engines under the wing or on the rear fuselage. The HondaJet puts them on pylons above the wing, and that single decision drives the rest of the design. Mounting them there means the wing spar can pass straight through the fuselage rather than dropping into a carry-through structure that eats cabin space.

The layout was not chosen for packaging alone. At high subsonic speeds a nacelle placed at the right point above the wing can reduce wave drag rather than add to it — a result Honda spent years validating before committing to it. The nose and wing are also shaped for natural laminar flow.

It took a very long time. Honda began studying small business jets in 1986, flew a proof-of-concept in 2003, flew the production-conforming HA-420 in December 2010, and did not receive FAA certification until December 2015. It remains the first and only aircraft Honda has brought to market.

Common questions

Honda HA-420 HondaJet — the short answers

How fast is the Honda HA-420 HondaJet?
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet cruises at about 782 km/h — roughly 422 knots, or 486 mph.
How far can the Honda HA-420 HondaJet fly?
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet has a maximum range of about 2,865 km (1,547 nautical miles, 1,781 miles). At its cruise speed that is roughly 3.7 hours in the air.
How many people does the Honda HA-420 HondaJet carry?
A typical Honda HA-420 HondaJet carries 7 people including crew. Exact figures vary with the operator's chosen configuration.
Is the Honda HA-420 HondaJet still in production?
Status: In production — Honda Aircraft Company. The Honda HA-420 HondaJet first flew in 2003, and about 250 have been built.
How big is the Honda HA-420 HondaJet?
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet is 12.99 m long with a wingspan of 12.12 m and a height of 4.3 m. Its maximum takeoff weight is 4,854 kg.
Variants

The Honda HA-420 HondaJet line

HA-420 Elite II
The current model, with further range and avionics improvements over the Elite.
HA-420 Elite
Added roughly 17% more range, a slightly extended tailplane, and removal of the wing fences and vortex generators.
HA-420
The original production aircraft, certified by the FAA in December 2015 after a programme tracing back to 1986.