JetZero is hoping to launch its first aircraft in 2030. Credit: JetZero.

Budget airline easyJet has become JetZero’s first European airline partner with a new agreement to provide operational insights and expertise to support the development of its blended wing body aircraft as a hydrogen-powered jet.

The partnership continues easyJet’s work on next-generation aircraft and will see it pass on expertise from its hydrogen aviation development projects to inform JetZero’s ambitions for a hydrogen-powered version of its aircraft design.

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David Morgan, chief operating officer at easyJet, said: “The blended-wing aircraft design offers the potential to maximise efficiencies and significantly reduce fuel burn and emissions in the process.

“Its potential to be powered by SAF or hydrogen in the future is also incredibly exciting and we look forward to working with JetZero over the coming years alongside our other partners.”

JetZero was founded in 2021 and quickly gained the backing of the US Air Force and Nasa, with the two organisations providing some of its initial funding and helping it to become one of the leading developers of a blended wing body aircraft design with ambitions to launch its first jet by 2030.

The addition of easyJet as a partner comes around a year after Alaska Airlines became JetZero’s first airline partner and means the European airline will join the US carrier in an Airline Working Group aiming to address the practical considerations for airlines of using a blended wing body jet.

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According to JetZero, its design would dramatically improve fuel efficiency compared to the conventional tube and wing models, providing a 50% reduction in the requirement for sustainable aviation fuel per passenger.

The wide shape of the design also means that it could provide additional space for hydrogen fuel storage with minimal impact on passenger capacity.

JetZero CEO Tom O’Leary said: “JetZero’s blended wing body configuration delivers what the industry most needs today: lower fuel burn, lower emissions and a viable path to zero carbon emissions.

“We welcome easyJet to the Airline Working Group and look forward to furthering the work of incorporating hydrogen into our planning for future platforms.”

The blended wing body model has become a popular choice for companies developing a more fuel-efficient plane, with Airbus also exploring the design as part of its ZEROe programme looking at the next generation of aircraft.