It's a bird, it's a plane — it's a brand-new sustainable aircraft.
Airline company Delta is partnering with aviation startup JetZero to develop a sleek and sustainable aircraft that "looks and feels like nothing flying today's commercial skies," per Delta News Hub.
Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab, which launched in 2023, will help bring JetZero's blended-wing-body aircraft to life. The plane is "expected to be up to 50% more fuel-efficient than aircraft in operation today, with flight range and seat capacity comparable to today's mid-range international aircraft — all with existing engine technology," Delta News Hub reported.
The goal is not only to help Delta reach their net-zero emissions goal by 2050, but to develop and implement new technology that could change the aviation industry completely. JetZero insists their design will fly within this decade. Early last year, their scaled-down Pathfinder model received an airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, allowing JetZero to do official test flights.
Energy-efficient, sustainable aircraft development like JetZero's could pave the way for net-zero aviation pollution. Globally, the aviation industry is responsible for 2.5% of carbon dioxide emissions, and has "grown faster between 2000 and 2019 than rail, road or shipping," per the International Energy Agency.
Delta has already made good progress on their path to sustainability. A sustainable aviation fuel blending facility is under construction in Minnesota, and will help Delta replace planet-polluting jet fuel.
Tom O'Leary, the cofounder and CEO of JetZero, told Delta News Hub that "JetZero is working to change the world by bringing to market an aircraft that aims to fly this decade and make immediate and marked progress toward reducing airline energy costs, and the associated emissions."
"The ability to realize such significant efficiency gains in the near future meaningfully impacts the industry's commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and will serve as the foundation on which other technologies and efficiencies can be realized," O'Leary said.
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