RALEIGH, N.C. — Honda has the U.S. regulatory approval it needs to launch full production of the auto-making giant’s first aircraft.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory said Wednesday that Honda Aircraft Co. received the certification on Tuesday.

HondaJet’s model HA-420 business jet is expected to be the first in a line of aircraft made at a manufacturing hub and headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The jet can seat up to seven and has a list price of about $4.5 million. Honda says it has received more than 100 orders, primarily from customers in North America and Europe. Originally, the company had said deliveries would begin by 2010. It hasn’t said what its new delivery target is.

The milestone comes three decades after Honda’s founder set a goal of entering the aviation market.