Aircraft
Boeing, JetBlue Invest in Zunum Electric Aircraft Venture
Washington State startup expects its first hybrid-electric regional airplane to enter service in the early 2020s
Zunum's hybrid-electric regional aircraft would carry between 10 and 50 passengers. (Image: Zunum Aero)
Zunum's hybrid-electric regional aircraft would carry between 10 and 50 passengers. (Image: Zunum Aero)

A startup enterprise based in the Seattle area has drawn funding from Boeing and JetBlue Airways to study and develop hybrid-electric regional airplanes that would fly between 10 and 50 passengers as far as 700 miles. Zunum Aero plans to have the airplane ready for service some time early next decade, not a bit too soon for a segment of the airline industry already in the midst of contraction due to escalating costs and regulatory impediments.