Natilus Unveils New Enhancements to its Hyper-Efficient HORIZON EVO Passenger Aircraft as it Readies For FAA Certification and Commercial Fleet Integration

• Critical feedback from FAA and carrier customers addresses certification requirements
• Design includes new dual-deck cabin, improved egress, and faster turnaround times
• HORIZON EVO fits seamlessly into existing airport infrastructure and operations

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Natilus, a U.S. aerospace manufacturer of blended-wing-body aircraft (BWB), today reached a critical milestone as it readies its passenger plane, HORIZON EVO, for commercial certification and fleet integration. Based on key feedback from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its base of global carrier customers, the HORIZON EVO design has evolved from a single-deck to a dual-deck aircraft. These enhancements offer more practicality in design, build, and operations – while improving overall passenger experience and safety. HORIZON EVO will enter commercial service in the early 2030s.

“In our ongoing conversations with the FAA and customers, there’s real excitement around what our new airframe brings, not only in terms of fuel economics, but in addressing some of the recent and real pain points happening in aviation today around safety, passenger experience, and plane shortages,” said Aleksey Matyushev, Co-Founder and CEO of Natilus. “These airline-validated insights really drove the design enhancements around dual-deck practicality, egress certifiability, and turnaround times and put us on a clear path to commercial certification.”

Natilus’s vision for the commercial-ready HORIZON EVO is centered on three key design pillars which maintain the same interoperability with existing airport ground infrastructure, while implementing modifications to the profile and interior that substantially enhance passenger experience and safety.

Key Design Pillars:

• Dual-Deck with a Focus on Safety: Mirroring the dual-deck layout of existing narrowbodies, HORIZON EVO offers both a spacious upper deck cabin for passengers as well as lower deck for standard cargo containers, pressurization advancements for comfort, and improved access to emergency exit paths..
• More Overhead Storage Space and Windows Throughout the Cabin: Addressing a rising pain point for carriers, HORIZON EVO’s dual-deck design offers more overhead storage space for passengers. The spacious upper deck also reflects customer-driven desire for the coveted window seat with an increase in windows, novel for the BWB.
• Improved Turnaround Times & Seamless Infrastructure Interoperability: The HORIZON EVO design maintains its purpose-built fit with existing passenger and cargo ground infrastructure and now includes the ability to carry standard air-freight containers in its lower deck. To ease the burden of loading, there will be multiple aisles in the premium and economy cabins.

Key Specifications:

• Cruise Mach: 0.78+
• Cruise Altitude: 35,000 ft.
• Fuel Type: Jet A or SAF
• Engine Type: PW 1500F Geared Turbofans or CFM LEAP
• Flight Deck: All Glass Fly-by-Wire
• Aircraft Span: 118 ft.
• Aircraft Length: 110 ft.
• Gate Class: C4
• PAX Count: 150 Three Class, 200 Two Class, 250 Single Class
• Economy Layout: 4 x 3 seats
• Cabin: Height: 7 ft., Width: 26 ft.
• Lower Deck Height: 4 ft., Lower Deck Width: 18 ft.
• Exits: 8
• Upper Deck Cargo Volume: 8,500 cubic ft.
• Lower Deck Cargo Volume: 2,600 cubic ft. 
• Upper Deck Cargo Containers: 16 AAA (88×125 base)
• Lower Deck: 12 LD3-45 containers

“The commercial aviation industry is facing a fast-approaching reckoning in which demand for new airplanes far exceeds current production capacity, with global fleets forecasted to double over the next 20 years, driving the need for more than 40,000 airplane deliveries. It’s a crucial moment for innovation that solves the economics for carriers, the experience for passengers, and the environmental impact for aviation,” said Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of New Vista Capital and former Chairman & CEO of The Boeing Company. “We believe HORIZON EVO presents a highly-attractive transformative design at the leading-edge of that solution.”

About Natilus
Natilus is a U.S.-based company developing a family of hyper-efficient blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft designed to transport people and cargo more sustainably and efficiently than ever before. With over 570+ aircraft pre-orders valued at $24 billion, Natilus is commercializing its BWB aircraft that unlock improved aviation economics – reducing fuel consumption by 30% and operational costs by 50% while increasing payload capacity by 40%. Founded in 2016, the Natilus team is composed of innovators from General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Skunkworks, SpaceX, and Piper Aircraft. Learn more at natilus.co.

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SOURCE Natilus