Honda Aircraft Offers Assistance to Jet It Fractional Owners

Honda Aircraft has formed a support team to assist fractional owners of HondaJets previously managed by Jet It, which suspended operations on May 18. The assistance will be provided free of charge. Honda said the team will help owners with “seamless transitions to alternative aircraft management options.” As part of the available assistance, fractional owners will be provided with pilot services to move aircraft to Honda’s Greensboro, North Carolina headquarters with up to 90 days of free parking.

“We understand the challenges faced by fractional owners who have been impacted by the suspension of their aircraft management after being released from contract by Jet It, and are now seeking alternative arrangements,” said Honda Aircraft CCO and v-p of customer service Amod Kelkar. “Consistent with our dedication to customer satisfaction, we have developed and established this assistance plan for those HondaJet owners in need of additional support during this transition period.” Jet It HondaJet fractional owners seeking such assistance can contact Honda Aircraft's customer service department via email at [email protected].

Jet It cited safety concerns about the HondaJet in taking its decision to suspend operations. However, industry sources told AIN that the company’s real issue was a cash flow problem that had stranded nearly half of its 21-strong HondaJet-managed fleet in maintenance centers that were holding the aircraft for payments due.

“The HondaJet remains a reliable and safe aircraft to operate, and we reaffirm our confidence in the aircraft’s safety through our engineering and analysis,” said Kelkar. More than 230 HondaJets are in service worldwide, with more than 180,000 fleet hours. The OEM said its aircraft have a 99.7 percent dispatch rate.  

While the Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network database lists 25 HondaJet incidents and accidents since June 2015, none have been fatal, though eight sustained substantial airframe damage. Most involved runway excursions on landing, but there doesn’t seem to be a causal common denominator related to the aircraft itself, according to a statement issued by Honda earlier this month.

"In all closed investigations of previous runway events, investigators found no causal factors from the aircraft's design or any system malfunction. Our engineering and analysis support our product as a safe aircraft to operate,” the company said.