PROGRAMME ZW · BIO-COMPOSITE AEROSTRUCTURESZW-PR-0427 · REV. D · RESTRICTED
ZESTWING
The wing that grows on trees.
Lighter than carbon. Grown, not mined.
ZestWing is the first aircraft wing made from orange peel. Peel that the juice industry throws away becomes a fibre lighter than carbon, fully recyclable, and it smells like a Sicilian summer.
−40%mass compared with a carbon-fibre wing
12,000oranges for every wing
100%compostable at end of life
M0.82cruise speed reached in testing
From grove to wing
01
The grove
Citrus groves in Sicily. The soil is tested every season: clean land, clean fibre.
02
The waste stream
Peel recovered from juice plants before it reaches the landfill.
03
The fibre
Pressed and cured into a pectin-cellulose laminate.
04
The wing
Assembled, load-tested and cleared for flight.
Section A–A
- Bio-resin skin, 0.8 mm
- Pectin-cellulose laminate, 6 plies
- Pressed-peel honeycomb core
Programme
- 2026Coupon tests
- 2028Ground demonstrator
- 2030First flight
“Cabin crew report a faint citrus note at cruise altitude.” Test log, flight 14