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DALLAS — United Airlines (UA) announced on April 24, 2025, that its venture fund is investing in JetZero, a Long Beach startup developing a blended-wing-body (BWB) airliner called the Z4.
The deal gives UA the option to purchase up to 200 Z4 aircraft (100 firm orders plus 100 options), subject to JetZero meeting key development milestones, notably a full-scale demonstrator flight in 2027, and meeting UA’s safety, business, and operational requirements.
The terms are conditional—UA has not disclosed the investment amount—but the commitment signals confidence in JetZero’s novel all-wing design. Andrew Chang, head of UA Ventures, 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.”
Z4 Airframe: Efficiency and Specs
According to JetZero, the Z4 is designed as a twin-turbofan jetliner that carries around 250 passengers over transcontinental ranges. The startup says the Z4 will have a range of around 5,000 nautical miles and burn up to 50% less fuel per passenger mile than today’s conventional airliners of a similar size.
Key performance features include:
- Blended-wing-body design: The aircraft’s wide “all-wing” planform generates lift across the cabin, dramatically reducing drag.
- The two high-mounted turbofan engines, based on Pratt & Whitney’s PW2040, burn either conventional jet fuel or SAF blends.
- Fuel and sustainability: By reducing aerodynamic drag and flying at high altitude, the Z4 could use roughly 45% less fuel on specific routes (JetZero cites a Newark–Mallorca flight as an example).
- It is optimized for conventional kerosene plus sustainable aviation fuels.
- Airport compatibility: Despite its novel shape, the Z4 is sized to fit existing airport infrastructure. It requires no new runway, taxiway, or jet bridge modifications – it can use today’s gates and ground equipment without change.
- Certification and timeline: JetZero recently passed a preliminary design review and expects a full-scale prototype, also known as a demonstrator, to fly by 2027.
- The company targets entering service around 2030 as a fuel-efficient replacement for mid-sized twin-aisle jets.
Passenger Experience Innovations
JetZero’s BWB layout also promises a very different cabin experience. Without a narrow fuselage, the Z4 offers a wide, open-plan cabin that can be arranged flexibly.
Key passenger benefits include:
- Spacious seating: All classes get larger seats and more dedicated overhead bin space.
- The flat, wide cabin means aisles can be wider too.
- Faster boarding: A single wide main boarding door feeds into multiple aisles and cabin bays, speeding up passenger flow.
- With two or more aisles (depending on layout), boarding and deplaning could be much faster than on today’s twin-aisles.
- Accessibility: Wider aisles and enlarged lavatories, including handicap-accessible facilities, are built in, aiming to improve accessibility for passengers with mobility challenges.
United believes these features can redefine long-haul comfort. As Chang noted, the Z4 could give “a bigger, more comfortable cabin experience for our customers” while also improving fuel efficiency.
Tom O’Leary, JetZero’s CEO, said UA’s support “signals the industry’s belief that new, innovative technology is needed to achieve the efficiency and cost savings” demanded by growing air travel demand.
He added that JetZero’s focus on the airframe is “the only one in development today that promises efficiency and an elevated customer experience.”
Strategic Context: UA’s Innovation Portfolio
United’s move on JetZero fits a broader strategy. UA Ventures (UAV), the carrier’s corporate venture arm, has been actively funding next-generation air transport technologies. Its portfolio spans electric, hydrogen, and advanced air mobility. For example, according to a report by Flight Global that further details JetZero's figures on orders, technical specs, and investment context, UAV has backed hybrid-electric regional airliner developers, hydrogen-fueled aircraft initiatives, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) projects.
UAV has made a number of alternative aircraft investments including:
These investments support UA’s goals for a lower-carbon, more efficient future fleet. In recent years, UA also helped launch a US$100 million Sustainable Flight Fund to accelerate the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). By partnering with JetZero, UA adds a radical new airframe to its horizon of possibilities. If the Z4 proves out, it could become a “core mainline” aircraft for UA’s future long-haul fleet.
As Chang put it, UAV is focused on companies “that can enhance the customer travel experience and help the airline lower its carbon footprint,” and JetZero “reflects that philosophy.” Sources: UA and JetZero press releases and aviation industry reports.
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Featured image: United Airlines/Airways
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