Honda Aircraft is not specifying sales details, saying only that the company has orders for more than 100 aircraft. Fujino acknowledges that the light jet segment remains stagnant – he does not expect recovery before 2014 or 2015. But, he notes that while sales have been slow, the program has encountered few cancelations and the backlog has remained strong.

Despite the delays and short-term economic outlook, Fujino says Honda Aircraft has solid backing from its parent: “Honda is a long-term growth company, not a quarterly report company,” he says. Honda is a veteran manufacturer, and “never overestimates or is too optimistic.”

As for the future of Honda Aircraft, Fujino says he has a 20-year plan and “a good understanding” of the capabilities of the existing design and how that could be applied to new products. But for right now, he says Honda Aircraft is focusing on developing the HondaJet and establishing the infrastructure for the new company.