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United Airlines announced today that it has invested in a blended wing body (BWB) aircraft start-up known as JetZero. The company’s new aircraft design has the potential to deliver a 50% reduction in fuel burn per passenger mile as well as a greatly enhanced passenger experience. Unlike traditional tube-shaped aircraft, JetZero’s design is like a wing (similar to what has been seen in some military aircraft).
The investment made by United includes an option to purchase up to 100 aircraft and a second option for an additional 100. The conditional purchase agreement is based on JetZero achieving development milestones, including flight of a full-scale demonstrator in 2027 that meets United’s safety, business, and operating requirements.
JetZero’s design will also mean major enhancements to the passenger experience with larger seats in all cabins and dedicated overhead bin space for each seat. Boarding will be streamlined with a main boarding door that is wider than that of a comparably sized aircraft. This will lead to multiple aisles and passenger cabin bays for more efficient passenger distribution. It could also enhance accessibility with handicap-accessible lavatories and wider aisles.
An agreement signed in 2023, awarded a $235 million contract from the United States Air Force. This is meant to accelerate development and this model is expected to fly in 2027. Both the Department of Defense and commercial aviation industry will see reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Several military aircraft configurations can be made with this design, including air transport and refueling tanker variants. Collectively this will account for approximately 60% of the Air Force’s total annual jet fuel consumption.
JetZero’s Z4 offers the aviation industry a clear path to delivering a 250 passenger airplane with 5,000 nautical mile range, using conventional engines while reducing its carbon footprint.
Andrew Chang, Head of United Airlines Ventures® (UAV), said:
If successful, JetZero has the potential to evolve our core mainline business by developing aircraft with a bigger, more comfortable cabin experience for our customers while increasing fuel efficiency across our network. United Airlines Ventures® was created to support our efforts to find innovative companies that can enhance the customer travel experience and help the airline lower its carbon footprint, and we believe JetZero reflects that philosophy.”
Tom O’Leary, CEO and Co-Founder of JetZero, added:
If successful, JetZero has the potential to evolve our core mainline business by developing aircraft with a bigger, more comfortable cabin experience for our customers while increasing fuel efficiency across our network. United Airlines Ventures® was created to support our efforts to find innovative companies that can enhance the customer travel experience and help the airline lower its carbon footprint, and we believe JetZero reflects that philosophy.”
Anthony’s Take: What a cool, futuristic design. The enhancements to passenger experience and fuel consumption sound great. I’d love to see this become a reality.
(Featured Image Credit: United Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
