four-engine aircraft Boom Overture they promise speeds of up to Mach 1,7 over water, which is twice the speed of today's fastest commercial jets. This means the plane can fly from Miami to London in just under five hours, instead of the standard nine hours.
About a year ago, United Airlines also agreed to buy about 15 Boom planes, and in 2016, Virgin Atlantic partnered with Boom to build and test aircraft in an attempt to make historically expensive flights more affordable.
With the American Airlines deal in hand, Boom has an order for 130 aircraft to complete. American has an option to buy 40 more planes, valued at about $26 billion, Reuters reports. Boom's Overture jets, which can carry 65 to 80 passengers, are expected to begin rolling off Boom's production line in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2025, followed by test flights in 2026. Boom expects its jets to carry their first passengers in 2029, but Boom has already fallen behind in conducting test flights for its other jet, the XB-1, so delivery of the Overture could also be delayed.
Boom's jetsAlthough they are incredibly fast they are not as fast as those of the legendary Concorde, which was flying at a speed of Mach 2,04. Concorde, which made its first supersonic flight in 1976 from New York City to London in three hours, was in the skies until 2003, when Concorde made its last commercial flight, due to a series of jet problems. For one thing, the flights were expensive to operate and used too much fuel, meaning they would cost thousands of dollars per ticket. Concorde aircraft were also incredibly loud due to their "sonic booms"—so loud, in fact, that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned commercial supersonic land-based flights.
Boom's Overture will fly over land at a speed 20% faster than subsonic flights, but not as fast as it will on the 600+ routes, mostly transoceanic, for which Overture will be best suited.
In January of last year, the FAA issued final new rules to pave the way for the reintroduction of supersonic commercial flight. Besides Boom, other companies are exploring ways to revive this technology. Virgin Galactic partnered with Rolls-Royce in 2020 to develop a supersonic plane, and NASA and Lockheed Martin are also looking to design a plane that could break the sound barrier with a quieter sonic boom.
Boom said it's designing the Overture to be 75% less expensive than the Concorde. for airlines to operate and profitable for airlines with fares similar to business class. The Overture jet is designed to run on sustainable aviation fuel or a blend, so hopefully it will alleviate environmental costs, as supersonic jets burn far more fuel per passenger than regular commercial airliners.
