JetZero's $100 million loan will go toward the Z4 airplane

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By David Ford

Published September 2, 2026 at 4:56 PM EDT

JetZero's Z4 — Rendering of JetZero's Jet1 Demonstrator in flight

JetZero, the aerospace startup with manufacturing and testing facilities in Greensboro, has secured a $100 million loan.

The money will go toward developing the company’s Z4. The roughly 250-seat, all-wing airplane designed for the middle market is expected to enter service in the early 2030s.

In a press release, JetZero CFO Sergey Kulyagin says the loan validates the company’s creditworthiness. The money also paves the way for Jet1, the Z4’s prototype demonstrator, scheduled for its first flight next year.

The company broke ground on its production facility in Greensboro in June. According to the company’s website, plans are in place to hire more than 14,000 workers over the next decade to support the new plane.

David Ford

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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