Fujino, in his late 50s, said he was 26 when he first went to the U.S. and attended a business jet trade show. “I thought, some day in the future, if I display a jet I designed, how wonderful it is.”
Honda’s jet was first introduced to the public in 2005, but it only began receiving its certifications in recent years due to the extensive testing required.
Honda recently announced its largest deal to date from Wijet, a European air taxi service, which ordered 16 jets. It also counts GE as a vital customer — the American company buys jets for executive use.
According to Fujino, perseverance without seeing any tangible results over decades was the biggest challenge.
There were several occasions he wanted to give up, he said, adding that he didn’t because he took inspiration from Japanese marathon runner Kenji Kimihara: “He didn’t think he needs to run 42 kilometers. He just thinks about running to the next pole.”
“When I almost gave up, I just thought: I need to work six months more or three months more,” he said. “It ended up being 30 years, but I tried to set short-term goals and not give up.”
