Episode Summary
Recorded at Natilus HQ in downtown San Diego, Neal sits down with Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus, and Dr. Fabiano Piccinno, Global Head of Sustainability for Air Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, for a roundtable on the real economics of decarbonizing flight. They get into why ordering a new plane today means a 12-year wait, why sustainable aviation fuel still costs nearly double Jet A, and how Natilus’s blended wing body cuts cost and emissions at the same time - the rare case where the greener choice is also the less expensive one. Along the way: fuel-price shocks emptying transatlantic cabins, aviation’s pull back toward defense, and a FedEx flight that hops the San Diego–Tijuana border in ten minutes. Plus the best plant-based tacos in Mexico City.
Key Topics
* The 12-year backlog to order a new aircraft
* Why global aircraft production must nearly double
* Sustainable aviation fuel at ~2x the cost of Jet A
* Blended wing body: 30% less drag, ~50% lower cost
* When sustainability and economics finally align
* Fuel volatility emptying transatlantic flights
* Aviation’s pull toward defense and dual-use
* Inside the Natilus × Kuehne+Nagel feasibility study
Links & Resources
* Natilus
* Kona (Natilus regional freighter)
* ZeroAvia (hydrogen-electric partner)
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