Honda Aircraft Co. has selected Greensboro, North Carolina, as the location for its new HondaJet Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility. The company will invest an additional $20 million to build the new MRO facility, bringing its total capital investment for construction of its North Carolina facilities to more than $120 million.
Honda Aircraft’s MRO facility will provide services for HondaJet owners that complement the services they receive at facilities across its HondaJet dealer network in North America and Europe, company officials said. These services include heavy maintenance services, such as extensive repair or overhaul work best provided by the aircraft OEM.
“We intend to offer HondaJet customers an overall ownership experience that is second to none in business aviation and one that is commensurate with all the best attributes of Honda,” said Michimasa Fujino, President and CEO.
The selection of North Carolina also underscores Honda’s continued investment in the HondaJet program, and its commitment to the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, he said.
“After a rigorous evaluation of various site alternatives, we concluded that we could best serve our customers and complement HondaJet dealer service facilities by placing our MRO facility here in North Carolina, where we are delighted to begin writing this next chapter of our growth,” said Fujino. “This will also reinforce Honda’s contribution and support to continue developing the aviation and aerospace cluster in the Piedmont Triad Region.”
Honda Aircraft will expand its presence at the Greensboro Piedmont Triad Airport (PTI) with this new MRO facility. The MRO facility will be an expansion of the company’s world headquarters campus, where its R&D, manufacturing and headquarter buildings encompass more than 500,000 square feet of space on approximately 80 acres. For future expansion purposes, Honda Aircraft has leased 54 additional acres at PTI Airport. The new MRO facility will make use of 20 of these acres. With current and future expansion, Honda Aircraft is leasing more than 130 acres at PTI Airport.
Design of the MRO facility, which is expected to encompass more than 80,000 square feet, will be finalized in the first quarter of 2012, with construction scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2012, and occupancy to begin in the first half of 2013. This timing supports the HondaJet’s scheduled certification and entry into service in mid-2013, according to company officials.
