Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday that its HondaJet has been certified as airworthy by U.S. regulators, giving the company the green light to soar into the aviation business.
The approval by the Federal Aviation Administration allows Honda to start deliveries of the light business jet more than half a century after the company's late founder Soichiro Honda unveiled his ambition to go to the skies in 1962.
It also represents another step forward for Japan's growing aviation industry after the maiden flight of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet in November. The MRJ, developed by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp., is Japan's first domestically produced passenger jet.