Editor's note: JetZero CEO Tom O'Leary inadvertently misspoke regarding the genealogy of commercial airliners from military applications. Boeing's 717 built off the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 program. The Boeing 737 origin is from the 707 program, originally developed for military missions.
In this episode of our ‘Sustainability in the Air’ podcast, Tom O'Leary, CEO and co-founder of JetZero, speaks with SimpliFlying’s CEO Shashank Nigam about how the company is developing the world's first commercial blended wing body (BWB) aircraft.
Drawing from his Tesla experience, O'Leary is promising to achieve up to 50% fuel savings whilst democratising flight access. JetZero offers a bold solution to aviation’s growth-versus-sustainability paradox, with the potential to transform passenger experience and climate impact by 2050.
JetZero is one of the visionary companies featured in our new book Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two. You can learn more about the book and order a copy here.
Here are the key highlights of the conversation:
Blended wing body: JetZero’s mission to reshape aviation (2:34)
Lessons from Tesla: Belief, supply chains, and military validation (8:33)
Why military partnerships matter for scaling (12:23)
Working with Alaska Airlines and Delta's Sustainable Skies Lab (23:10)
Rethinking cabins: 8-ft ceilings, 6 aisles (28:41)
Beyond fuel: Noise, NOx, and community impact (33:04)
Fuel strategy: SAF-ready, eye on hydrogen (34:54)
Certification hurdles and go-to-market path (38:50)
Rapid Fire! (45:54)
Keep reading for a detailed overview of the episode.
Why JetZero’s revolutionary aircraft technology and design matter
JetZero's blended wing body aircraft represents a fundamental reimagining of commercial aircraft design, moving away from the traditional tube-and-wing configuration that has dominated the industry for decades.
The company’s approach focuses on optimising the four forces of flight through an all-wing structure that generates lift across the entire wingspan, not just the wings.
The technical advantages are substantial. O'Leary explains:
"You take the four forces of flight – lift, weight, drag, and thrust – and you get a whole span lifting body, lower weight through carbon composites. You are minimising the drag with wingspan and lower wetted area."
The aircraft integrates existing single-aisle-sized engines rather than requiring entirely new propulsion systems, which significantly reduces development risk and timeline.
The company’s holistic approach to aircraft design, considering all elements from aerodynamics to propulsion integration, positions JetZero's technology as a genuine breakthrough rather than an incremental improvement, with the potential to deliver up to 50% fuel savings compared to conventional aircraft.
Five ways JetZero is challenging the status quo
1. Industry innovation and market dynamics
The aviation industry faces a classic innovator's dilemma, where established manufacturers with substantial order backlogs have little incentive to pursue disruptive technologies that could cannibalise their existing product lines.
O’Leary argues that the duopoly in large commercial aircraft has only reinforced this dynamic, creating a risk-averse culture shaped by quarterly earnings pressure and sprawling workforces. As a result, even technically superior innovations often struggle to gain traction.
“What is the pace of innovation going to be if your order bank is secure for five to 10 years?” he asks. “That is the innovator’s dilemma par excellence.”
The established players' focus on incremental improvements and derivative aircraft designs has left room for disruptive entrants who can approach the market with fresh perspectives and different risk tolerances.
At smaller companies like JetZero, O’Leary notes, the entire team is mission-driven and committed to the transformational goal, free from the competing priorities that often dilute innovation in larger organisations.
2. Strategic partnerships and market validation
JetZero’s approach to market validation reflects a sophisticated understanding of how the aviation industry works, using dual-use military applications to de-risk its commercial programme and build credibility with suppliers and investors.
Partnerships with the U.S. Air Force and NASA add both funding and technical rigour, with regular design reviews helping to establish a disciplined development process and reinforce trust in JetZero’s engineering approach.
The military connection proved crucial for supplier engagement, according to O'Leary:
"We went to those folks and said, well, the Air Force is here. They're like, okay, we have to take this seriously because the Air Force takes it seriously."
This opened doors that might otherwise have remained closed to a startup attempting to enter the notoriously conservative aviation supply chain.
Beyond military backing, JetZero has assembled an impressive advisory board featuring industry legends such as Bob Liebeck (inventor of the BWB), Rob Dewar (Bombardier C Series), and Pres Henne (Gulfstream), among others. These advisors provide credibility and meet regularly to ensure the programme stays on track.
On the commercial side, JetZero has secured partnerships with Alaska Airlines (who have both invested and placed orders) and Delta Air Lines through its Sustainable Skies Lab. A broader working group of 15 global airlines also provides ongoing customer input.
Strategic supplier ties deepen that foundation. RTX is on board for engines, avionics, and the APU, bringing both technical depth and production credibility. And a recent agreement with Siemens will support digital manufacturing tools for what JetZero calls its “factory of the future.”
3. Passenger-centric design philosophy
JetZero’s blended wing body design offers a fundamental rethink of the passenger experience, tackling longstanding pain points through radically different cabin architecture.
According to O’Leary, the aircraft’s unique shape allows for a dramatically increased interior volume, creating space for features that simply aren’t possible in conventional tube fuselages—including smarter storage.
O'Leary describes the experience:
"There is a sense of eight-foot ceilings. I'm standing in the aisle, and I can't physically touch the bin. And yet the bin has enough room to fit my bag and my personal items. So I don't have anything stuffed under my seat. I have my own dedicated space."
The layout allows for wider seats across all classes, and even passengers away from windows maintain sight lines to natural light, addressing a common concern with blended wing body designs. The centralised galley concept creates opportunities for airlines to reimagine their service delivery, moving away from cart-based service to more personalised approaches.
Moreover, O’Leary explains that accessibility features are built in from the beginning, with wheelchair-accessible lavatories standard rather than requiring regulatory mandates.
4. Sustainability and environmental impact
JetZero’s environmental benefits go well beyond simple fuel savings, tackling a broader set of sustainability challenges that often constrain aviation growth. The company takes a comprehensive approach to emissions, addressing not only CO2, but also noise pollution and nitrogen/sulfur oxide (NOx/SOx), which have significant impacts on airport communities.
O'Leary notes:
"We think about emissions, not just in terms of carbon, but it's carbon, noise, NOx and SOx, right? …That's typically all at the airport level, [and] that's a community issue."
This holistic view acknowledges that sustainability challenges are increasingly industry's growth barriers. Noise and air quality, more than runway capacity, often limit airport expansion and route approvals. JetZero’s design naturally cuts across all major emission categories—reducing them by around 50%—and in doing so, helps unlock future growth.
The aircraft’s fuel efficiency also enhances the economics of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), enabling it to deliver twice the range per gallon. This creates economic viability for expensive alternative fuels that might otherwise price out passengers and limit growth. The design is also compatible with future hydrogen propulsion, though O'Leary acknowledges infrastructure challenges remain.
5. Aviation's growth vs. decarbonisation paradox
The aviation industry faces a mathematical impossibility: projections show passenger demand doubling by 2045 whilst simultaneously requiring net-zero emissions without significant technological advancement.
This paradox represents the core challenge that JetZero aims to solve, as incremental improvements in existing aircraft designs cannot bridge the gap between growth ambitions and environmental requirements.
O’Leary argues that SAF alone cannot solve this paradox, as the higher costs would necessarily increase ticket prices, potentially constraining the growth that makes the industry economically viable. Without breakthrough efficiency improvements, the industry faces a choice between growth and environmental goals.
JetZero's 50% efficiency improvement provides a potential solution path, enabling continued growth whilst dramatically reducing per-passenger environmental impact. This approach recognises that aviation's social and economic benefits—connecting people, enabling commerce, and democratising mobility—are worth preserving and expanding.
As O’Leary sees it, sustainability must be an enabler, not a barrier, to growth. With the right technology, environmental progress and industry expansion can go hand in hand.
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Our new book Sustainability in the Air: Volume Two is now available for purchase on Amazon. Learn more about the startups, strategists, and sceptics working to close the gap between growth and green ambition.
‘Sustainability in the Air’ is the world’s leading podcast dedicated to sustainable aviation. Through in-depth conversations with top aviation leaders, we break through the clutter and provide a clear roadmap for a net-zero future.
