Chatter filled the Honda Aircraft exhibit at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas in October 2021. Dramatic music came on over the loudspeakers along with a video showing the original HondaJet, and then, the outline of a larger bizjet on the drape. A gasp, then hands clapping could be heard from the large crowd gathered around as the drape fell, revealing a full-scale mockup of the HondaJet 2600 Concept.
The original HondaJet has seen great success, with about 200 airplanes delivered since its certification in December 2015. However, some customers have expressed a need for a larger HondaJet family member that can go “coast to coast and carry more than three passengers comfortably,” Honda Aircraft Company’s president and CEO Michimasa Fujino said at the unveiling. While no final plans have been made to date, the HondaJet 2600 Concept is the current answer to that need—the designation “2600” hints at the airplane’s top range, which is expected to be 2,625 nm.