Canadian airline Nolinor Aviation has placed a firm order with San Diego-based aircraft developer Natilus for an unspecified number of Kona aircraft, a cargo freighter with a unique blended-wing-body (BWB) airframe designed for maximum efficiency.

The charter operator plans to use the Kona aircraft for remote cargo operations in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Nunavut provinces, where growth in mining activity has led to increasing demand for both passenger and cargo flights. Nolinor president Marco Prud’Homme told AIN the airline typically operates 15 to 20 flights per week to carry workers and mining equipment up north and occasionally bring back minerals. 

By adding the Kona short-haul feeders to its fleet, Nolinor hopes to expand its cargo operations in northern Canada to more remote areas. The Montréal-based airline currently has just one base in the Northwest Territories at Yellowknife Airport, and it has satellite bases in Edmonton and Winnipeg. 

The optionally piloted Kona aircraft can carry 3.8 metric tons (about 8,400 pounds) of cargo to a range of 900 nm. With a wingspan of 85 feet, it’s about as wide as a traditional narrowbody airliner, but it offers more than twice the cargo space. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D engines, the Kona burns 30% less fuel than comparable tube-and-wing airplanes, thanks to the aerodynamic design of the blended wing. 

Nolinor currently operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 737-200s, which can be configured to accommodate up to 119 passengers or 30,000 pounds of cargo. Its nine 737-200s are equipped with gravel kits that enable them to utilize unpaved runways. This capability is crucial for operations in rural northern Canada, where there’s limited infrastructure and aircraft often take off and land on dirt, gravel, or ice.

According to Prud’Homme, that capability was a key selling point for Nolinor when it opted to purchase Kona aircraft from Natilus. Another factor that drove the decision is the reduced operating costs, particularly when it comes to routine maintenance. Because the Kona’s engines are mounted high on the rear end of the aircraft, they won’t stir up and ingest as much debris on the runway, he explained. 

“Fuel saving is always a plus, but for us, it's the downtime, the impact of having aircraft damaged, and having to do maintenance on them on a daily basis,” Prud’Homme said. He added that he believes the BWB design concept “could be a game changer in terms of maintenance operations.”

In addition to the Kona, Natilus is developing a larger BWB aircraft called Horizon that it says will rival the Boeing 737 and Airbus A220 narrowbody airliners. For now, the company is focused on building the first full-scale Kona prototype. It has been flying a subscale demonstrator in California since 2023. 

The start-up is also planning a future hydrogen-powered version of the Kona that would use ZeroAvia’s ZA600 hydrogen-electric engines. ZeroAvia aims to certify the ZA600 this year, but Natilus has not yet begun integrating and testing it with the Kona, Natilus co-founder and CEO Aleksey Matyushev told AIN. He said the company’s first priority is to get the Kona certified and in service. Natilus is currently targeting late 2027 or early 2028 for service entry. 

Matyushev said Natilus now has 580 aircraft in its order book with a total value of approximately $23 billion. Its other customers include Ameriflight, Monte Aircraft Leasing, Volatus Aerospace, Flexport, Astral, Aurora International, and Dymond.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to the Kona as remotely piloted and autonomous. Natilus is now indicating the Kona will be available on an optionally piloted basis.