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)

* Kuehne+Nagel

* ZeroAvia (hydrogen-electric partner)

Connect on LinkedIn

* Neal Bloom

* Aleksey Matyushev

* Fabiano Piccinno

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