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FARNBOROUGH, England—JetZero has signed a letter of intent with Gulf Air and announced support from Japan Airlines (JAL), building its number of airline commitments as its blended wing body (BWB) demonstrator progresses.
The letter of intent from Gulf Air covers an undisclosed number of Z4 aircraft with preferential delivery positions in the early 2030s. The flag-carrier of Bahrain is looking ahead to the next-generation aircraft as having the right range, size and expected timing of entry into service for its forward-looking strategy.
“We wanted to be the launch operator in the region to be at an early stage, being part of the program and develop the aircraft together with JetZero for the needs we have,” CEO Martin Gauss said here. The letter of intent was signed at the Farnborough Airshow.
Gauss, newly installed at the helm of the carrier, is finalizing a new strategy for Gulf Air’s next decade.
“This order is a part of the strategy of Gulf Air,” he said. “It is a big step forward, so that Gulf Air gets back into a position it used to have to be a leader in innovation in the industry … If you look back at our history, 76 years ago, we were doing a lot of innovations. We were the founding airline of all areas in the Gulf region. Today we are a bit smaller, but we are in a transition to bring Gulf Air back to what it was.”
JetZero has also announced “support and interest” from JAL in the BWB, with the Japanese carrier specifically citing the Z4’s potential for gains in fuel efficiency and passenger experience. Together, JetZero and JAL will collaborate on operations, maintenance and design aspects, including a focus on the aftermarket structure. The two will also jointly evaluate gate management and efficient ground handling methods for the Z4 and integrate JAL's expertise in flight operations, cabin services, maintenance and ground handling into the baseline specifications of the Z4.
“Collaborating with JetZero on the Z4 aligns perfectly with our commitment to sustainable innovation and net zero emissions by 2050,” said JAL Executive Officer for Corporate Strategy Takao Suzuki.
Taking into account the new airline engagements, JetZero’s airline advisory group—which is preparing for its fifth meeting in November—now grows to 17 members. Other carriers who have publicly announced support for or partnerships with JetZero include Delta Air Lines, EasyJet, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
JetZero is working toward first flight of its full-scale BWB demonstrator in the fourth quarter of 2027, and assembly of the demonstrator is currently underway at Northrop Grumman’s Scaled Composites site in Mojave, California. JetZero plans to file for type certification this year and aims to enter commercial production before the end of 2030. In June, JetZero broke ground on an 8-million-ft.2 factory facility, situated on a 600-acre campus in Greensboro, North Carolina. Earlier in the show, JetZero and the U.S. Export-Import Bank announced a letter of intent to explore up to $3 billion in potential financing support for the manufacturing campus.
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