Boeing-backed startup lands JetSuite for electric plane's debut

Boeing Co.-backed startup Zunum Aero plans to deliver its first hybrid-electric plane in 2022 to JetSuite Inc., setting the stage for a new era in regional flying, Bloomberg reports.

JetSuite, a small charter airline with plans to expand a commercial operation nationally, eventually will receive as many as 100 aircraft that seat up to 12 passengers each, Zunum co-founder Matt Knapp said in a statementMonday. JetBlue Airways Corp. has invested in Zunum and JetSuite. The charter operator is also backed by Qatar Airways.

The new aircraft will eliminate the roar of combustion-based engines, powered instead by twin propulsors attached to the rear of its frame. The ducted, or covered, fans will be driven by electric motors. A conventional fuel-powered motor will serve as a back-up system at the outset.

Battery packs, rather than fuel, will be housed in the aircraft’s wings. Zunum expects the technology to advance rapidly given the investment pouring into electric cars and aircraft. Competitors such as Europe’s Airbus SE and a partnership that includes EasyJet Plc, the U.S. military and NASA are pursuing similar concepts.


“JetSuite, with its tradition of shifting paradigms in aviation, is an ideal partner for us in this launch collaboration,” Ashish Kumar, Zunum’s chief executive officer, said in the statement. “We have a shared vision for fundamentally transforming and improving the way that people live and travel.”