Summary
- Boom Supersonic aims to revive supersonic travel and make it accessible to more people by offering affordable fares.
- The Overture aircraft is projected to fly twice as fast as current Airbus and Boeing models, while still being profitable for airlines at business class fares.
- Boom plans to offer supersonic flights on economically viable routes, potentially connecting cities like Tokyo-Seattle, Dubai-Heathrow, and Miami-Madrid.
Boom Supersonic has been making significant strides in recent months. The company’s XB-1 prototype was recently cleared for test flights, while its Overture Superfactory is gathering pace in its construction.
With this progress in mind, Simple Flying spoke with Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, to find out more about the expectations of the ambitious program.
A word from the chief
Primarily, Boom wants to pick up where Concorde left off and enable flights that are not just faster but also more affordable. Ultimately, it wants to have supersonic travel available to everybody who flies.
Scholl added that Boom wants to achieve this mission in a way that is completely economically and environmentally sustainable. Scholl concedes this is “a big vision, but an important one.”
Boom’s leadership touts that Overture will fly twice as fast as anything from Airbus or Boeing but will be profitable for airlines at fares similar to what’s charged in business class today. Relative to Concorde, this is a quarter of the prices charged.
Scholl summarizes that flights will be available to tens of millions of passengers on hundreds of economically viable routes across the continents. Not just London-New York, but Tokyo-Seattle, Dubai-Heathrow, Los Angeles-Sydney, Sydney-Perth, and Miami-Madrid.
Concerning the environment, Boom believes that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the way the industry is going to decarbonize long-haul aviation in the next 30 years. Subsequently, the firm is designing Overture to be able to run on 100% sustainable fuel.
Adding to this, Overture will be significantly less noisy than Concorde. After all, the plane won’t have afterburners like its predecessors, and its jet exhaust will be subsonic on departure. So, a critical factor that led to plenty of opposition against Concorde remains a matter of the past as the noise will blend in with existing subsonic models.
Preparing for production
The Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, will be complete by the end of next year. The $100 million construction project is actually running ahead of schedule. This aspect enables a smooth journey ahead when it comes to timelines, with rollouts anticipated in just three years.
Scholl explained to Simple Flying:
“From an overall program perspective, our targets are to roll off the first Overture in 2026 and fly in 2027 to be certified to carry passengers by the end of the decade. Those are our targets, and as we continue to bring suppliers on board we’re going to evaluate the best possible program schedule,
“It’s possible we’ll encounter challenges. A lot of airplane programs do, but we believe in aggressive schedule to challenge ourselves and challenge our supply chains. Not to skip any steps, but to do everything we need to do as quickly as we possibly can. We want this product for ourselves. Our customers want it. And we think the world will deeply benefit from faster connectivity.”
Boom has already shown its determination to overcome issues, having found a solution to engine supply woes. This, it will be confident of adhering to its schedule in the coming years.
Plenty to be excited about
United Airlines and American Airlines are two major players that have placed orders for Overture aircraft. With a capacity between 65 and 88 passengers, a speed of up to Mach 1.7/1,800 km, and a range of 4,890 mi/7,870 km, there are grand prospects for commercial supersonic travel.
As we prepare to commemorate 20 years of Concorde’s final passenger flight next month, we can remain hopeful that the plane will inspire another generation of rapid flight, with Boom expecting Overture to carry passengers by 2029.
What are your thoughts about Boom Supersonic’s plans? Let us know what you think in the comment section.