American United Airlines to Introduce Supersonic Aircraft by 2029

(The supersonic aircraft of the Boom company) US airline carrier United Airlines has announced plans to buy 15 supersonic aircraft and bring back supersonic speeds to aviation in 2029, the BBC reports.

Supersonic passenger flights ended in 2003 when Air France and British Airways retired Concorde.

The new Overture aircraft will be produced by the Denver-based company Boom, which has yet to flight-test a supersonic jet.

United's deal is conditional on the new aircraft meeting safety standards.

Supersonic flights mean that an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound.

At an altitude of 18,300 meters, that means flying faster than 1,060 kilometers per hour.

A typical passenger jet may fly at about 900 kilometers per hour, but Overture is expected to reach a speed of 1,805 kilometers per hour, or Mach 1.7.

At that speed, a trip between London to New York can be nearly halved to three and a half hours.

Concorde, whose commercial use started in 1976, went even faster – at Mach 2.04, or about 2,180 kilometers per hour.

United Airlines

Boom Denver

Overture

Air France

British Airways

Concorde

supersonic airplane

supersonic aircraft