Honda Motor Co. suffered a new setback to its HondaJet small aircraft as engine damage forced a redesign that will delay the first delivery until mid-2013, almost a year later than the previous schedule.
Ice ingested during ground testing caused "very minor damage" and a slight loss of thrust, Honda Aircraft Co. President Michimasa Fujino said Sunday at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas. General Electric Co. is Honda's partner on the engine.
The postponement pushes back the HondaJet's commercial debut from 2012's third quarter, which already was later than Honda Aircraft once expected. In 2009, the North Carolina-based unit said difficulties in receiving parts meant the first delivery would slide to late 2011 from 2010.