Piedmont Triad International Airport is going to learn soon whether aircraft startup JetZero is going to keep the Greensboro airport’s hot streak alive.
Long Beach, California-based JetZero confirmed it’s considering PTI as one of three U.S. finalists for a 10,000-plus employee assembly factory for its revolutionary “all wing” passenger airplane. The International Paris Air Show scheduled for June 16-22 provides a global aviation audience for JetZero’s announcement.
“We hope to announce the final selection within weeks,” said company spokeswoman Jenny Dervin, noting the upcoming air show. In an email earlier today, she declined to identify the two other locations contending for the facility.
At full run rate, the JetZero factory will produce about 20 airplanes a month and would employ more than 10,000 people, Dervin said. Employment will grow over the five years until the facility is running at full speed.
“Early hires will be engineers to get the factory built and operational,” Dervin said. The facility “will employ the latest technology, making it a smart factory with advanced digital tools and industrial AI that will feed and respond to data collected in the build process, making it more cost- and time-efficient.’’
The plane’s all-wing design refers to the blending of the wings and the body, creating a broader appearance that resembles the flat body of the stingray fish. The design allows the entire airplane to produce lift and reduce drag, resulting in up to 50% better fuel efficiency, according to Dervin.
It will carry about 250 passengers with a range of 5,000 nautical miles. It’s aimed at carriers looking to add planes for the “un-served middle market between single-aisle workhorses and larger twin-aisle airplanes,” Dervin said.
JetZero is generating interest in aviation circles and gaining financial backing. Last month, carrier United announced its investment in the company, putting it on a path to order up to 100 airplanes and an option for an additional 100. The conditional purchase agreement is based on JetZero achieving development milestones, including flight of a full-scale demonstrator in 2027.
JetZero confirmed its consideration of the Greensboro airport after recent news reports identified PTI as a finalist. In an email Tuesday, Kevin Baker, the airport authority’s executive director, declined to comment about the situation.
If Greensboro wins, it would become home to its second early-stage aircraft manufacturer since 2022. That’s when Boom Supersonic chose PTI for its $450 million factory to assemble its faster-than-the-speed-of-sound passenger jet.
After completing the exterior of the 180,000-square-foot facility last summer, Denver-based startup Boom is laying out the production floor and stations for assembling the Overture plane. It has installed a 15-ton crane that will be used to move fuselage and wing sections during Overture production.
While planning to build a second facility, Boom’s first will produce 33 aircraft a year, requiring about 1,700 workers to assemble the first aircraft scheduled to roll out in 2029. Economists for the state project a $32.3 billion impact over 20 years.
Nearby at PTI, U.K.-based Marshall Aerospace has put up its facility for servicing U.S.-based fleets of Hercules C-130 tactical transport aircraft. After breaking ground in 2023, the company is investing $50 million in its U.S. operations and creating 240 jobs.
Across Interstate 73 from Boom and Marshall is about 800 acres of land, including a former golf course, owned by PTI and graded for aviation development. An aircraft taxiway across the interstate connects the main airport campus to the tract, which is “ready to host a major tenant,” according to the economic development link on PTI’s website.
