Christopher Papadopoullos, GlobalData’s principal analyst on corporate Net Zero strategy, shares his view on the importance of BWB in the aviation sector’s journey to cut emissions.
United Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, announced on April 24, 2025, that it had invested in blended wing body aircraft developer JetZero.
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United and JetZero have not disclosed the exact terms of the deal but it includes a “pathway” for United to order up to purchase 200 BWB aircraft if JetZero meets certain development milestones. No large commercial BWB aircraft are currently in production, but JetZero aims to have a demonstrator model by 2027. JetZero is one of two leading startups, the other being Natilus, that are aiming to bring commercial BWB aircraft capable of carrying around 200 passengers to market.
Why the latest investment in JetZero is a big deal
United Airline’s investment is a big deal for emissions in aviation for three reasons. First, BWB aircraft could be significantly more fuel-efficient than conventional aircraft. JetZero claims its design: “reduces drag and produces lift across the entire wingspan, which could lead to as much as 50% reduction in fuel burn per passenger mile compared to a similarly sized aircraft.”
This would make net zero aviation much more achievable. For example, in United Airlines’ net zero roadmap, the company assumes that improved aircraft design might achieve a 30% fuel efficiency by 2050.
The second reason it is important is that it is another vote of confidence in JetZero from the commercial airline industry. JetZero has already developed partnerships with other commercial airlines like easyJet and Delta Airlines, while Alaska Airlines supported JetZero’s series A fundraising in 2024. A future order of 200 planes would be around one-fifth of United Airline’s current fleet, so it is a significant vote of confidence from the airline.
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By GlobalDataThird, the aviation sector as a whole has been struggling to find viable routes to cut emissions. The sector’s near-term targets mostly involve using a certain amount of sustainable fuels called sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. However, the development of sustainable aviation fuel has been slow. Neste, the world’s largest producer of SAFs, announced a poor set of financial results in February 2025 on the back of weak demand for renewable fuels.
The company’s comparable earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, fell 64% in 2024 compared to the year before, led by declining sales in its renewable products. Neste CEO Heikki Malinen warned of continued challenges in renewable fuel throughout 2025 and said policy uncertainty in the US was of concern. He also said the war in Ukraine and inflation had reduced the urgency of decarbonization.
What next for airline emissions targets?
JetZero is aiming to build a demonstrator model by 2027 in partnership with Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, with the US Airforce and NASA providing initial funding for its demonstrator in 2023. This means the first commercial planes would be unlikely to reach runways until at least several years later 2027, in the early 2030s, provided JetZero can scale up its manufacturing.
While this means many airlines still look set to fall short of their 2030 emissions targets, longer-term emission goals, such as net zero by 2050, are starting to look within reach.
