Boeing-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.
JetSuite, a small charter airline with plans to expand a commercial operation nationally, eventually will receive 100 aircraft that seat as many as 12 passengers each, Zunum Aero said in a statement Monday. JetBlue Airways Corp. has invested in Zunum Aero and JetSuite. The charter operator is also backed by Qatar Airways.
JetSuite has reserved “a fraction” of the first 100 Zunum Aero 10 aircraft to be produced, and the timing of remaining deliveries will be determined closer to 2022, Kumar said in an email.
Zunum Aero plans to provide aircraft both for JetSuite’s private charter operation and larger versions for its JetSuiteX scheduled flight service, he said. The ZA10 will have a range of 700 miles when introduced in 2022. The larger ZA50 is targeted for the mid-2020s and will be able to fly 1,000 miles.
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