We’re Five Years Away From the Return of Supersonic Air Travel - Here's What It Looks Like

To pave the way for the Overture, Boom has been developing and testing the XB-1, a smaller supersonic demonstrator aircraft. The XB-1 has successfully completed several test flights, pushing the boundaries of supersonic technology. It will soon attempt to travel at supersonic speeds in the skies above the Mojave.

“Boom’s mission is to make the world dramatically more accessible through supersonic travel,” a spokesperson for the company told Matador via email. “When most people think of supersonic, Concorde comes to mind. Developed in the 1960s, Concorde was a technological marvel and we stand on her shoulders as we progress towards a supersonic future. However, Concorde was never built for sustainability, either economically or environmentally.”

Boom plans to initially have Overture serving some 600 commercial air routes globally. Boom’s commercial order book for Overture currently stands at 130 aircraft, and that’s for a plane that hasn’t even been built yet. United was the first airline to sign a purchase agreement, with both American Airlines and Japan Airlines following suit.

One major difference between Concorde and Overture, the company noted to Matador, is that Overture will take off without afterburners, the main reason for the higher noise levels of Concorde’s take offs. Overture will have a landing and takeoff noise output similar to today’s subsonic long-haul aircraft, and will also meet Chapter 14 noise levels – a set of international standards for aircraft noise emissions, established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These standards were designed to minimize the noise impacts of planes on the communities surrounding airports, most notably.

Making air travel more sustainable, with and beyond SAF

Rendering courtesy Boom Supersonic

Flying accounts for roughly 4 percent of global carbon emissions. Developments including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) hope to drastically reduce that by developing jet fuel not built from fossil fuels, and instead using substances like corn oil. Boom plans to incorporate only SAF into its power train.

“From the beginning Boom has taken an approach rooted in sustainability, scalability and economic viability,” the spokesperson said. “Overture, and Boom’s bespoke Symphony engines, are optimized to run on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) enabling sustainable and fuel-efficient supersonic travel. Overture leverages more than 50 years of technology advancements to achieve optimal performance, ensuring it will be profitable for our airline operators.”

Boom promises a better cabin experience for passengers

Rendering courtesy Boom Supersonic

In addition to being faster and easier on the environment, Boom plans to make Overture a better flying experience for passengers, as well.

“We’re investing a great deal in elevating the passenger experience, developing a cabin that is comfortable, tranquil and productive for travelers,” the spokesperson said. “Boom has a dedicated passenger experience team who are combining rigorous passenger research with iterative design development to ensure we deliver an onboard experience that maximizes value to airlines and is beloved by their passengers.”

However, that experience is likely to come at increased cost, at least initially.

“We’ve designed Overture to be profitable for airlines at fares similar to first and business class and across hundreds of transoceanic routes,” the spokesperson said. “We do anticipate that fares will get less expensive over time, similar to how the first cell phones, cars, and computers cost more than the ones that followed. Boom’s goal is to make supersonic travel mainstream.”