Phenom 300 vs HondaJet HA-420: how the two fleets are really flown
On two of the four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Phenom 300 and the HondaJet HA-420. The clearest difference is salt air: the middle Phenom 300 at 5%, the middle HondaJet HA-420 at 0%.
Embraer Phenom 300 fleet statistics →Honda HondaJet HA-420 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle HondaJet HA-420 at 1.3 : 1, the middle Phenom 300 at 1.2 : 1.
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
Hours per landing
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active aircraft of each type in North America: 581 Phenom 300s and 141 HondaJet HA-420s.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | HondaJet HA-420 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.2 : 1 | 1.2–1.5 : 1 | 1.3 : 1 | 1.1–1.5 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 45% | 36–49% | 45% | 30–53% |
| Leg length Median leg | 344 nm | 303–424 nm | 371 nm | 277–446 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the types sit further apart than the middle half of either fleet spans: the middle Phenom 300 at 5%, the middle HondaJet HA-420 at 0%.
What the air around the fleet does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
Salt air
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Aircraft we can place on enough nights at known fields: 448 Phenom 300s and 89 HondaJet HA-420s.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | HondaJet HA-420 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 5% | 1–9% | 0% | 0–1% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 30% | 10–40% | 6% | 1–32% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.9 h | 5.9–7.8 h | 7.2 h | 4.5–9.8 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 8% | 4–12% | 4% | 1–12% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 10.0 g/m³ | 9.0–11.1 g/m³ | 10.0 g/m³ | 7.3–13.3 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On hot, high takeoffs, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Phenom 300 at 6%, the middle HondaJet HA-420 at 4%.
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
Hot, high takeoffs
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Departures we could assess: 579 Phenom 300s and 140 HondaJet HA-420s. Short-runway departures aren't compared: we don't have a sourced takeoff distance for the HondaJet HA-420.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | HondaJet HA-420 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 6% | 3–9% | 4% | 0–11% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,523 ft | 1,358–1,782 ft | 1,674 ft | 1,487–2,134 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the types sit further apart than the middle half of either fleet spans: the middle Phenom 300 at 17, the middle HondaJet HA-420 at 6.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Phenom 300 (581) and HondaJet HA-420s with at least 40% of their flights tracked (76). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | HondaJet HA-420 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 17.1 | 5.2–37.3 | 6.3 | 4.4–8.8 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 9.5 | 4.1–16.6 | 4.1 | 3.1–5.9 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈272 h | 96–550 h | ≈107 h | 72–134 h |
Choosing between a Phenom 300 and a HondaJet HA-420?
Check both tails, not the types.
Enter the two tails on your shortlist. TailCheck grades each one on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization against its own type, then puts them side by side.
Trip-length mix
Both fleets flew 45% of their legs under 300 nm; 9% of Phenom 300 legs and 6% of HondaJet HA-420 legs were over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Phenom 300 | HondaJet HA-420 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 20% | 19% |
| 150–300 | 25% | 26% |
| 300–450 | 17% | 18% |
| 450–600 | 12% | 14% |
| 600–900 | 16% | 16% |
| 900–1,200 | 7% | 5% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 2% | 1% |
| 1,800+ | 0% | 0% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 136,814 legs by 581 Phenom 300s and 8,472 legs by 141 HondaJet HA-420s, every leg with a known distance. The Phenom 300's trips bunch at 150–300 nm, the HondaJet HA-420's at 150–300 nm.
Phenom 300 vs HondaJet HA-420: on paper
Certified figures come from each type certificate data sheet, the rest from the manufacturer. Each figure names its source; a range covers the variants one page tracks together; a dash means we don’t have a source for that figure yet. We don’t have a manufacturer source for the HondaJet HA-420 yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Phenom 300 | HondaJet HA-420 |
|---|---|---|
| Range (manufacturer) | 2,010 nm (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | —Not in our sources yet |
| High-speed cruise (manufacturer) | 464 kt (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | 3,209 ft (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 17,968–18,551 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00091 Issue 4, p.8 | 10,600–11,100 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.352 Issue 10, p.6 |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 45,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.158 Issue 11, p.9 | 43,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.352 Issue 10, p.6 |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 9EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.158 Issue 11, p.10 | Up to 6–7EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.352 Issue 10, p.7 |
Phenom 300 vs HondaJet HA-420: questions
Which is flown more, the Phenom 300 or the HondaJet HA-420?
The Phenom 300, by about 165 estimated hours a year: the middle Phenom 300 flew ≈272 h a year, the middle HondaJet HA-420 ≈107 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Phenom 300s logged 96–550 h and of HondaJet HA-420s 72–134 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 17 a month for the Phenom 300 and 6 for the HondaJet HA-420.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Phenom 300 or the HondaJet HA-420?
The Phenom 300: its middle aircraft flies 1.2 hours per landing, against 1.3 for the HondaJet HA-420, 0.1 hours fewer per landing. More landings per hour means more pressurization cycles for the same time in the air. Short hops, legs under 300 nm, make up 45% of the middle Phenom 300's legs and 45% of the middle HondaJet HA-420's.
Which flies longer trips, the Phenom 300 or the HondaJet HA-420?
The HondaJet HA-420, by 27 nm on the median leg: 371 nm for the middle aircraft, against 344 nm for the Phenom 300. Both fleets flew 45% of their legs under 300 nm; 9% of Phenom 300 legs and 6% of HondaJet HA-420 legs were over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Phenom 300 or the HondaJet HA-420?
The Phenom 300, by 5 percentage points: its middle aircraft spends 5% of its nights within 2 km of the coast, the middle HondaJet HA-420 0%. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Embraer Phenom 300 vs Honda HondaJet HA-420.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/embraer-phenom-300-vs-honda-hondajet-ha-420
Method: Phenom 300s and HondaJet HA-420s with most departures in North America, ADS-B tracking. Flight measures cover 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; each figure is the median of its own fleet, with the middle half (25th–75th percentile). Estimated hours from time in the air. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Specifications from type certificate data sheets and the manufacturers, each cited. About our data