Bombardier and Honda Reveal New High-Performance Jets At EBACE, Geneva

Bombardier and Honda Aircraft Company each unveiled new high-performance jets at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Bombardier showed off two additions to its Global Business Jet Family: the new Global 5500 and Global 6500, expected to enter service by the end of 2019.

Powered by new Rolls-Royce Pearl engines and featuring a new optimized wing design, Global 5500 and 6500 can reach top speeds up to Mach 0.90 and what Bombardier promises will be a smoother ride. The new engines also yield a 13-percent fuel burn advantage, reducing operating costs and the aircraft’s carbon footprint.

The impact of business aviation on the environment is a hot topic at this year’s EBACE, where a new initiative to promote the use of alternative fuels is on the agenda. The business aviation community has set targets for a 50-percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, relative to 2005, under the 2009 Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change (BACCC).

Benefitting from the fuel efficiency and thrust of the new engines, the Global 5500 increased its range by 500 nautical miles over the Global 5000, and can operate flights from Sao Paolo to Paris or Moscow to Los Angeles. The Global 6500 will offer 600 nautical miles more range than the Global 6000 allowing it to fly from Singapore to London. The thrust and efficiency of the new engines also increase the aircraft range in hot weather and high-altitude conditions by 1,300 miles, Bombardier states.

The cabins are redesigned and include Bombardier’s patented Nuage seat and Nuage chaise. The latter can serve as a lounge chair in the conference suite and is convertible to a flat bed or a banquet table. The aircraft also features an ultra-high-resolution entertainment system.

The flight deck was upgraded too with what Bombardier touts as “the first true combined vision system (CVS) in business aviation” which can display enhanced and synthetic images in a single view.

The reveal of a new generation of long-haul business jets comes on the heels of Bombardier's handover of the C-Series program, following the sale of that contentious program to Boeing-rival Airbus. Airbus is now focusing on optimizing costs for that program, consolidating staff and reaching out to vendors.

HondaJet Elite

Honda Aircraft Company unveiled a new HondaJet Elite which offers 17% more range to 1,437 nautical miles. It features a new sound-reducing inlet structure resulting in quieter cabins.

The Company’s President and CEO Michimasa Fujino introduced the new HondaJet Elite at EBACE saying it, “represents Honda Aircraft’s continued commitment to performance, efficiency and environment creating new value in business aviation.”

The new HondaJet offers an advanced avionics system, a new exterior paint scheme, and a speaker-less sound system with immersive audio called the Bongiovi Audio System. New cabin features include a belted lavatory, a galley with coffee maker and two-toned executive leather seats.

The HondaJet Elite has already received type-certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and from the European Aviation Safety Agency. On the first day of EBACE's official opening, Honda announced the appointment of Jetex Flight Support, Dubai, as an authorized sales representative in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Jordan, Turkey and Kuwait.

The reveal of this new model follows the long delays and high costs of Honda's first foray into the business jet market. By the end of 2017, the company had reported deliveries of 43 aircraft to customers in the Americas, Europe and Asia and announced plans to ramp-up production to four aircraft per month at its headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.

During the Singapore Air Show this February, Honda reported that 73 HondaJets were in service around the world and that the company had "a good backlog" of orders. The company also announced a Memorandum of Understanding with European air taxi service, Wijet, for 16 HondaJets as part of a fleet upgrade program, the contract was valued at $78 million catalog price.

This April, HondaJet China announced the signing of a new fixed-based operation (FBO) agreement with Yitong Business Aviation Service Co., a subsidiary of Guangdong Airport Authority, for an 8,800 square meter expansion of its facility at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport's FBO. The new facility will house a HondaJet sales showroom and dedicated service area that can fit up to 20 HondaJets, and is expected to be completed by mid-2019. HondaJet also received type-certification in Argentina and Panama, added to the aircraft's existing certifications around the globe including in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. The company also expanded its sales outlets to India this March with the appointment of Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Pvt., Ltd., based in New Delhi, as an authorized sales representative.

Perhaps the biggest boost of confidence for the HondaJet program came from Japan's All Nippon Airways  (ANA) which struck a deal with Honda Aircraft to introduce HondaJets as part of its feeder flights and chartered services. 

ANA Holdings, Inc. President and CEO, Shinya Katanozaka said, “Through this strategic partnership and use of the HondaJet, ANA will create new demand to utilize business jets, in particular for travelers of various Japanese entities who value convenience and privacy in their overseas travel.”