Gulf Air May Buy JetZero’s Blended-wing-body Z4

Gulf Air plans to add JetZero’s Z4 blended-wing-body (BWB) airliner to its fleet for routes out of its Bahrain base to destinations in Europe and Asia. On Tuesday morning at the Farnborough Airshow, the carrier signed a letter of intent for an undisclosed number of the in-development 250-seater with preferential delivery positions in the early 2030s.

Also on Tuesday, Japan Airlines expressed interest and support for the Z4 program. The Asian carrier said it is evaluating the aircraft as part of its long-term fleet planning. In 2025, United Airlines signed a provisional agreement to buy up to 200 of the aircraft.

The U.S. start-up aims to fly a prototype in 2027 and in June broke ground for the construction of its manufacturing facility in Greensboro, North Carolina. On Monday, the Export-Import Bank signed a letter of intent with JetZero to explore a $3 billion loan to establish the production line, and the company separately announced plans for an engineering office in Wichita.

JetZero's full-scale demonstrator will fly on a pair of legacy Pratt & Whitney PW2040 turbofans, the engine that powers the Boeing 757, but the company has not yet named an engine for the production Z4. That airplane is expected to carry up to 250 passengers with a range of about 5,000 nm, targeting the so-called “middle-of-market” segment served by remaining Boeing 757s and 767s, as well as older Airbus A321s and A330s. JetZero claims the BWB airframe alone will cut fuel burn by about 30% compared with the tube-and-wing airliners it aims to replace—a figure the company says could reach 50% with new-generation engines.