United Airlines announced on April 24, 2025, that it has become an investor in JetZero, a US startup developing a revolutionary blended wing body (BWB) airliner.
The deal, the total amount of which has not been disclosed, also includes a conditional purchase agreement for United Airlines to potentially acquire up to 200 aircraft (100 conditional orders plus 100 options).
Confirmation of the order is dependent on JetZero reaching certain milestones, such as managing to have a full-scale demonstrator aircraft flying by 2027 and meeting certain safety, operational and financial requirements.
While the US Air Force provided a significant chunk of the early-stage funding for JetZero through a $235 million grant, the blended wing body concept that JetZero is working on has also garnered significant interest from the commercial aviation industry.
The aerodynamic structure of this innovative aircraft concept could halve fuel consumption in comparison to traditional tube-and-wings airliner designs, while the spacious wide cabin could radically transform the passenger experience.
United Airlines follows in the footsteps of Delta Air Lines, which announced its own partnership with JetZero in March 2025 to collaborate on the definition of the passenger experience onboard the future 250-passenger long-haul airliner.
With United Airlines on board, JetZero has already secured the interest of two of the three largest US carriers.
In a press release announcing the deal, Andrew Chang, Head of United Airlines Ventures (UAV), the venture capital arm of the eponymous airline, stated: “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.”
