GREENSBORO – HondaJets are still selling despite the global pandemic, and that’s good economic news for the Triad where the business jets are built.

According to a recent report summarizing shipments and deliveries in the field of aviation for the calendar year 2020 from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), the Honda Aircraft Company delivered 31 HondaJet aircraft to customers across the globe, ranking first in its category for the fourth consecutive year.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in overall business jet deliveries compared to previous years, we also have seen it accelerating the shift to safer and more sustainable modes of transportation,” said Michimasa Fujino, the president and CEO of the Honda Aircraft Company in a statement.

The data shows that in the first quarter of 2020, the company shipped seven aircraft, billing just over $31 million.  In the second quarter, the company shipped just two aircraft, billing $10.6 million.  Yet deliveries picked up in the second half of the year, with eight aircraft shipped in the third quarter, representing $42.4 million in billings, and 14 shipped in the final quarter of the year, worth billings of $74.2 million.

“HondaJet deliveries quickly recovered to pre-COVID levels by the end of the year, showing that customers around the globe continue to choose the HondaJet,” said Fujino.

Since the first delivery of a HondaJet to a customer in 2015, more than 170 HondaJets have been placed into service, according to the press statement issued by the company.

According to the company, Honda Aircraft added a new service center and flight training center in the UK and expanded its global footprint with type certifications in Pakistan and Russia in 2020.

The company also recently announced that HondaJet Japan has begun charter service of the HondaJet under Air Transport Services, making the aircraft even more accessible to travelers in Japan.

The Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. announced that it had launched charter services using HondaJets for general customers in Japan last week, with the hourly charge between ¥500,000 (approximately $4,700 in U.S. dollars) and ¥600,000 (approximately $5,600 in U.S. dollars), for up to five passengers, according to reporting in The Japan Times.

“We believe that the HondaJet will keep contributing to the recovery of the global business aviation market,” said Fujino.