European HondaJet operators now have a clear path to the latest avionics and performance hardware. Honda Aircraft Company announced today that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has validated the APMG S upgrade package, completing the regulatory loop that began with FAA certification in December 2025 and Mexican AFAC approval in May 2026. The certification covers HondaJet Classic aircraft dating to the type’s 2015 service entry and original APMG-equipped jets introduced in 2018.
The APMG S package makes four substantive changes to legacy aircraft. Upgraded avionics hardware and software accelerate processing speed and, according to Honda Aircraft, lay the groundwork for future technology additions across the existing fleet. The Advanced Steering Augmentation System (ASAS), first introduced on the HondaJet Elite S, arrives as part of the bundle, improving handling precision and extending crosswind capability. Maximum Takeoff Weight climbs 300 lb to 10,900 lb total. Graphical Weight and Balance software rounds out the package, letting crews compute takeoff and landing weights directly from fuel and loading data rather than working through manual tables.
On paper the performance numbers are competitive for the class: 422-knot maximum cruise speed, a 43,000-foot service ceiling, and 1,359 nautical miles of range under NBAA IFR reserve conditions with four occupants. Thrust comes from two engines rated at 2,050 lb each, derated from 2,095 lbf.
The 300-lb MTOW increase is the figure buyers shopping preowned HondaJets will notice most. It directly expands useful load, which translates to more passengers, more fuel, or more luggage without renegotiating the weight-and-balance sheet on every leg. For an aircraft operating across European airspace, where crosswind conditions at smaller aerodromes can complicate approaches, the ASAS addition is equally practical.
Honda Aircraft has structured the upgrade for accessibility. Installations run through the company’s Greensboro, North Carolina service center and a global network of 21 authorized service facilities. In Europe, Rheinland Air Service in Germany handles installations as a HondaJet Authorized Dealer. Preowned aircraft that have already received the APMG S modifications are also available for purchase in certified markets, giving buyers who want the capability without the retrofit process a direct route in.
Honda Aircraft noted that additional international validation applications remain pending and will be announced as they clear. The company surpassed 250 global HondaJet deliveries in 2024 and is currently developing the HondaJet Echelon, an 11-occupant aircraft that will be built alongside the HondaJet Elite II in North Carolina.
For Classic and original APMG owners in the EU, the validation converts an upgrade that has been available in North America for months into something they can actually schedule. The wait is over; the question now is how quickly European service slots fill.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
