Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has awarded Honda Aircraft type certification of the HondaJet Elite, the Greensboro, North Carolina-based airframer announced yesterday. Immediately following certification, the first HondaJet with Russian registration began operating in the region, the company reported.

Honda Aircraft's light twinjet holds type certification from 13 regulatory agencies. They include the FAA, EASA, Transport Canada, Mexico AFAC, Brazil ANAC, Argentina ANAC, Panama AAC, India DGCA, Japan JCAB, China CAAC, Turkey DGCA, and Pakistan PCAA.

“The HondaJet Elite is well suited to the needs of business travelers in Russia and the CIS as it can provide safe, quick, and efficient transport between cities in the region or between Russia and the European Union,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. “Our objective is to change the way we travel by growing the market for business aviation. We are excited to see that the first HondaJet in Russia is already in operation and look forward to further expanding our Russian fleet.”

The worldwide HondaJet fleet now numbers more than 170 that have collectively flown more than 63,000 hours.